Olympic Pin Enthusiasts Gather in Los Angeles

(ATR) Olympic collectors from around the world gathered in a Los Angeles hotel last weekend to buy, sell, and trade memorabilia at the 33rd annual Olympin Show.

The U.S.-based Olympin Club has about 600 members from more than 35 countries. Collectors from China, Japan, and Italy joined those from the U.S., including a faithful cadre from the Los Angeles area who were introduced to the hobby 30 years ago at the 1984 Olympic Games.

Anita DeFrantz, IOC Executive Board member and president of the LA84 Foundation, was the keynote speaker at a sold-out banquet attended by about 65 people.

"It’s a real privilege to talk to people who care about the Olympic Movement this way," DeFrantz told Around the Rings. "They are investing in keeping alive the artifacts that surround the Olympic Movement, and that’s a beautiful thing."

The USOC sponsored a cocktail reception prior to the banquet at the Courtyard Los Angeles Westside. A silent auction, including torches from Atlanta and Vancouver donated by Olympin members, raised about $4,300 to defray costs of the show and support future club activities.

Light Foot Traffic

Bud Kling, chairperson of the organizing committee, tells ATR that all 40 tables sold at a cost of $125-150 and called the show "a great success in nearly all facets."

"I think the amount of material displayed here is great," Kling said. "The one negative is that the public just didn’t come."

Kling said recent shows have had similar problems in attracting foot traffic.

"We tried many different things, but it doesn’t seem to have worked," he said. Kling and his committee contacted newspapers and websites. The Southern California Olympians and Paralympians association agreed to send an email to its hundreds of members.

However, the only Olympians who came to the show were Mike O’Hara (volleyball 1964), who took a table, and Michael Lenard (team handball 1964), who is a collector. Rich Perelman, vice president of press operations and editor-in-chief of the official report for the 1984 Games, swung by the show on Saturday.

Fellowship Opportunities

Collectors usually see each other only at the Olympic Games. Although tens of thousands of items are available daily on eBay, shows give people a chance to interact in person.

"It’s like a big reunion," said Pam Litz, associate chairperson and newly appointed member of the Olympin board of directors.

"We have seen some of the old traders come out. Some people stay connected with the hobby and others kind of drift away, so you really need to have a Games in the States again to generate another group of collectors."

Sid Marantz, another member of the Olympin board as well as the show organizing committee, hosted a beach party on the eve of the three-day show.

"It gave the show a California feel," Marantz said. "I’m happy. I wish it was an art show and 10,000 people would walk through, but that’s not the kind of hobby it is."

He said Olympin would pick up about a dozen new members from the show.

Olympic Love

Perhaps the most enthusiastic attendee was Hou Kun of China, who married two-time Olympic taekwondo champion Wu Jingyu in late May. He presented every attendee at the dinner with a set of "Olympic Love" stamps commemorating their wedding. The package included photos of the couple holding her gold medals.

Hou, who goes by the English name Justin, said he told his wife that he wanted to donate $500 to the Olympian Club, just as he did at a previous show.

"No!" she replied, explaining that they are married now. She said they would donate $500 apiece.

According to Olympin board member Scott Reed, Wu he is going to post information about Olympin on her blog, which has 3 million followers. Wendy Wickstrom, the new Olympin director of social media, will coordinate communication with the Olympic champion.

Written by Nick Devlin

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