The most popular game at the 2026 Arctic Winter Games might be pin trading | CBC Arctic Winter Games
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As athletes go for golden ulus, another highly competitive game is happening on the sidelines at the 2026 Arctic Winter Games: pin trading.
It’s a tradition at the event, and this week Whitehorse is abuzz as everyone from athletes to volunteers try to complete their collections.
“A pin trade is like a swap of communities, that’s what I take from it,” said Team N.W.T. athlete Noelle Ruggles.
Kieran Horton, an athlete with Team Yukon, says pin trading is a great way to connect with others at the games.
“It’s like, you see someone from another team … and then you say, ‘Hey, can we trade pins?’ And then it’s a good way to make connections with people all across circumpolar north,” Horton said.
Lewis Taman, the national events coordinator at Laurie Artiss Ltd – The Pin People, says asking someone if they want to trade a pin can be a great conversation starter.
He says pin trading started “taking off” about 30 years ago at events like the Arctic Winter Games, the Canada Games and even the Olympics.
The Pin People have made two pin sets for these Arctic Winter Games, including a snowflake set for every region competing in the games and a fox set for every section of the committee that hosted the games, Taman said.
“Each is different in its own right, but they’re all a piece of the puzzle,” he said.
Charles Kerr, who has been watching the games, says pin trading makes him happy.
“I like that [pins] are metal and they’re spiky … and they have some pretty cool colours,” Kerr said. “I think it’s a part of history and a fun thing to do.”
Two-time Olympic gold medalist and chair of the Canada Games Council, Catriona Ann Le May Doan, is in Whitehorse for the games this week, and she says she is also taking part in pin trading.
“It’s the connection. It allows athletes, volunteers, people to come together to interact, to actually learn about what their pin means for their team,” she said.
“What’s so amazing is the complexity of the pins … they’ve all become puzzles now and moving pieces, and it allows that communication and that interaction.”
Taman says collecting pins is like collecting memories.
“When you look at it, you’ll think of this time where you got it, who you got it from, maybe even the successes you had along the way,” he said.
“Not every athlete that comes here is going to go home like a medal, but every athlete that leaves here is gonna go home with pins and memories from those pins.”
