Pin pals: The 'unofficial sport' of the Canada Games is breaking down barriers

ST. JOHN'S — There are 19 sports on the programme for the 2025 Canada Games, but the unofficial 20th sport is underway absolutely everywhere in the city.

Pin trading is happening at every venue, the Athletes' Village, on the streets, and even at a special trading booth set up on the campus of Memorial University.

When you see an athlete that's not on the field of play, they're wearing a lanyard with their accreditation. That lanyard carries something else very important on it – the various Canada Games-specific commemorative pins they've collected by trading with other athletes and Games attendees.

Each of the 13 provincial and territorial teams come to the host city armed with their own specific pins, looking to trade their items in exchange for pins from other teams, organizers, or sponsors.

WATCH | Pin trading, explained:

Pin trading is the unofficial sport of the Canada Games

The tradition has been part of the Canada Games for decades, although it had very humble beginnings.

Lewis Taman works with The Pin People, the company that designs and manufactures pins for the Canada Games and teams and operates a trading booth at the Games.

"So it's a bit of a monster we created," Taman laughed. "At first, we started off with some pins that the athletes could trade. The idea being if someone from Newfoundland wanted to talk to someone from Saskatchewan, now they've got a pin to trade and a way to start that conversation. 

Taman said the practice was so popular that today there are upwards of 240 different pins to collect at the Games in St. John's and a collector's guide is part of the official app of the Canada Games. This is the biggest Games yet for pin trading, but the idea still remains the same as it always has: to