At the Scandinavium. 1976.

Last Updated on July 28, 2021 by Netropolitan Museum

Should there ever be a contest for the coolest-sounding name for a sports arena, “Scandinavium” might well be the winner. And the site has hosted many a winner over the decades, including those at the 1976 World Figure Skating Championships held in Gothenburg, Sweden, home to the Scandinavium. The winners there included the sport’s icons: Dorothy Hamill, Irina Rodnina and Alexander Zaitsev, Lyudmila Pakhomova and Alexander Gorshkov, and the incomparable John Curry.

The Scandinavium was less than five years old when the 1976 World Championships came to town, and by all accounts the organizers of the event were proud of the host facility. In fact, the logo of the facility is used as a small accent element on the pin produced for the event. Although plenty of pins have included the name or an illustration of the host facility, this may be the only pin (or one of only a few) to feature both the name and logo of the arena where the event was contested. That distinction is somewhat minimized, however, since the logo is used at such a small size that the word “Scandinavium” is rendered nearly illegible. The name is much more legible on the participant medal, shown along with the pin in the gallery below.

On a gold-colored base metal, the pin is covered with a thick acrylic layer that sits slightly above the base. Beneath is a design in gold and blue—colors commonly associated with Sweden—that features male and female figure skaters in a mirror pose, arms and legs stretched in close unison. But there’s more to this design element than meets the eye. Look closely at the pin, for cleverly worked into the illustration of the skaters are the letters “VM,” for “Världsmästerskap” (or “World Championships”). The rich blue background surrounds the skaters, and centered above are the Three Crowns of Sweden.

Beneath is a design in gold and blue—colors commonly associated with Sweden—that features male and female figure skaters in a mirror pose, arms and legs stretched in close unison.

The pin measures approximately 13/16″ x 1″ (2.1 cm x 2.5 cm) and features gracefully rounded edges that create a shape reminiscent of an ice arena. Around the upper portion of the pin’s circumference is the event name and date: “World Championships in Figure Skating, March 2–7, 1976.” Note that the host city name does not appear on the pin. Also of note is that the Gothenburg pin has not stood the test of time from a production standpoint. It is common for the acrylic cover to have fallen off and for there to be damage to the design beneath because of the adhesive used to secure the cover. The pins can exhibit from slight to extreme deterioration.

The participant medal, measuring approximately 2″ x 2-1/2″ (5 cm x 6.4 cm), features the same design as the pin, only executed in relief on a gold-colored base metal.

Enjoy At the Scandinavium. 1976.

1976 World Championships Pin Gallery