The first Olympic Pin Collection Workshop opened in Beijing on Wednesday. Juan Antonio Samaranch, honorary president of the International Olympic Committee, was at the opening ceremony.

Samaranch said even though the pins are small, they symbolize friendship and history, making them an increasingly popular collectors' item.

Olympic pin collections are very popular around the world, and now they are catching on in China as the country hosts its first Olympic Games. Foreigners wearing clothes covered in Olympic pins are a common sight at the Olympic venues in Beijing.

They are here not only to watch the events but also to collect and trade pins with other avid collectors. Olympic pin collection associations have been established in many countries, and a web-site is now in the works.

(CCTV August 15, 2008)