Jack Draper’s Olympic pin blunder: British star misses out on exchange ritual

Jack Draper revealed a major mistake he made upon arriving at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The British No. 1 started his tournament journey with a decisive victory over former bronze medallist Kei Nishikori, 6-1, 6-4. The world No. 27 is the only Brit remaining in the singles competition.

The 22-year-old player was unaware of the traditional pin exchanges that athletes participate in at the Olympic Village. Competitors from various disciplines receive badges representing their nation and exchange them to collect as many as possible, something Andy Murray, for instance, is an expert at.

However, Draper arrived at Paris 2024 without knowing this tradition. He left all his United Kingdom pins at home and has not participated in the traditional exchanges: “I didn’t know about it but there’s like a pin culture, you know?” the British No. 1 said after his first-round win on Sunday. “I left all my pins at home because I thought they were just like, I didn’t know what they were.

“I thought they were just to give to family members and stuff but then we obviously came and everyone is swapping their pins and I’ve got no pins and it’s difficult. So I’ve not been sort of meeting other athletes really.”

While Draper hasn’t been able to meet athletes from other countries, he has interacted with other British athletes: “But I’ve got to see the GB gymnasts, hockey team,” he said.

“We’ve got an amazing lodge that we go to which is the GB lodge so we’re very fortunate to have our own space there and some good food and stuff like that because at the village it can get pretty crazy there. It’s an interesting experience but it definitely seems a lot busier than it would be if it’s just an individual tournament.”

The pin exchanges among athletes have been a topic in the GB Team, especially after the obsession with pin collecting by Andy Murray was revealed. His former mixed doubles partner Laura Robson, with whom he won a silver medal in London 2012, and his current men’s doubles partner Dan Evans, are among those who have mentioned that Murray is a fan of pin exchanges: “I mean, he is probably the pro in pin collecting, he takes it very seriously,” Dan Evans said.

“Ever since the accreditation line that we were picking up our badges, he was right on the ball and getting as many as he could. So, he does a slight, unfair advantage because a lot of people come up to him for selfies and he’s trading that for pins, which is interesting.”