Pin Trading Brings Participants Together at Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics

DAKAR, Senegal — Small pins have become sought-after keepsakes at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, where athletes, volunteers and collectors are exchanging them across the train, press centre, Olympic Village and stadium.

The activity has given participants an informal way to meet people from different backgrounds while preserving reminders of their time at the Games. For some, the pins represent national identity; for others, they capture friendships and moments shared in Dakar.

Memories beyond the Games

Senegalese content creators Diaw Ketchup and Biggy said they hoped to keep the pins they collected as reminders of their experience. They also viewed them as items they could one day share with their grandchildren.

Biggy highlighted three particular pins, describing them as especially meaningful. “You see, sometimes there are very specific pins, especially these three. These pins up here are incredible to me. They were given to us yesterday. This one is Dakar 2026,” he said.

The exchange has taken place in several settings around the Games, including while participants travel by train and as they gather at competition and media venues.

A way to connect

For Vivian Mora Ratembo, a Kenyan 3×3 basketball player, collecting pins from different countries encourages people to communicate.

“Pins, especially when you have ones from different countries, show that you know how to interact well with other people. To get pins from other countries, you have to communicate with others,” Mora Ratembo said.

She added that possessing a pin from a particular country can also express pride in belonging to that nation.

The trading culture has extended beyond personal collecting. A company preparing to enter the Senegalese market used a pin giveaway to attract followers on social media and encourage visitors to share posts about the brand. The company was not identified.

Across the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, the pins have consequently taken on a meaning beyond their small size. They have served as reminders of shared experiences and as symbols of friendship and solidarity among participants.