Collecting Torino 2019: a look at official merchandise and souvenirs
The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Turin brought together the season's top senior and junior skaters for four days of competition at one of Italy's most distinctive skating venues. For fans in the stands and those watching from home, the event also launched a range of official merchandise and collectible souvenirs that captured the spirit of December in Piedmont. From apparel to limited-edition pins, the Torino 2019 range offered something for every kind of skating enthusiast, including the dedicated community of Australian fans who followed the action across longitudes and time zones.
Australians have a longstanding tradition of collecting figure skating memorabilia, with clubs in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth regularly exchanging program covers and trading pins at local rinks. While Turin sits roughly 16,000 kilometres from Sydney, the global reach of figure skating has always made distance feel smaller, particularly during a Grand Prix Final where many of the sport's biggest names compete for podium spots. For collectors down south, souvenirs from Torino 2019 represent both a piece of skating history and a tangible link to a competition that helped shape the careers of today's Olympic contenders.
The merchandise programme for the event was designed to suit casual buyers looking for a memento as well as serious collectors hunting for rare items. Prices were set in euros, but Australian shoppers planning ahead could convert costs using the prevailing AUD rate and factor in the Goods and Services Tax that applies to imported goods above the A$1,000 threshold. Understanding these details ahead of time helped Australian fans decide what to buy on site versus what to order later through international shipping channels.
Apparel and wearable souvenirs
The flagship of the Torino 2019 merchandise range was its apparel collection, which included cotton t-shirts, long-sleeve tops, zip-up hoodies and warm scarves emblazoned with the event logo and the distinctive Turin skyline. Colour palettes leaned on icy blues, silvers and deep navy, reflecting the winter atmosphere of the competition held at the Palavela arena. Sizing ranged from children's small through to adult XXL, making pieces suitable for skating club members of all ages, including juniors preparing for their own competitions back home.
Prices for apparel varied depending on the item and material. A standard event t-shirt typically retailed in the region of €20 to €25, while a heavier hoodie with embroidered logos could cost upwards of €55. Australian fans converting these prices during December 2019 would have seen the euro sitting at roughly 1.63 AUD, putting a hoodie at around A$90 before any additional shipping or customs charges. For many buyers, the appeal lay less in the price and more in wearing a garment that celebrated a competition they had travelled thousands of kilometres to attend.
Scarves and beanies proved especially popular because the early December chill in Turin matched the kind of conditions Australian figure skaters only experience during their winter training trips to the northern hemisphere. Wool blend scarves with the Torino 2019 wordmark, often featuring stripes in Italian flag colours, became a favourite among fans who wanted something practical as well as commemorative. Several Australian skating clubs reported members purchasing multiple scarves to gift to fellow skaters upon coming home, treating them as both souvenirs and symbols of shared passion for the sport.
Pins, magnets and small collectibles
Pin badges have occupied a sacred corner of figure skating fandom for decades, and the Torino 2019 range continued this tradition with a series of enamel pins depicting the event logo, the host city skyline, and stylised representations of each discipline: men's, ladies', pairs and ice dance. Each pin measured approximately 30 millimetres and came mounted on a small backing card with event branding, ready to slot into a collector's album or trading board.
Pin sets typically sold for around €15 for a four-pin package or €5 for individual pieces, with certain limited-edition variants released only at the venue during the final weekend. Australian collectors, who often keep their pins in custom-made boards or display cases, found the Torino 2019 designs particularly attractive because they incorporated architectural references unique to Turin, including the Mole Antonelliana silhouette. For fans in Melbourne's ice rinks who had already built up collections from previous ISU events, these pins offered a natural extension of an existing hobby.
Magnets and keychains formed another accessible tier of collectibles, with prices generally ranging from €4 to €10. These smaller items often became the go-to purchase for fans who wanted something to bring back for family members or friends who had supported their travel. Refrigerator magnets featuring the event logo were particularly practical, given that many Australian households display skating memorabilia in their kitchens as a daily reminder of the sport. Keychains, often crafted in the shape of a skate blade or a small snowflake, served a similar dual purpose as both a keepsake and a functional everyday item.
| Merchandise category | Price range | Best for | Australian shipping notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| T-shirts and tops | €20–€25 | Casual fans, club members | Lightweight, flat shipping available |
| Hoodies and outerwear | €50–€70 | Cold-weather collectors, gift buyers | Heavier parcels, courier preferred |
| Scarves and beanies | €15–€35 | Souvenir gifters, winter sport fans | Compact, low customs impact |
| Pin sets | €10–€20 | Collectors, trading fans | Easily mailed, low declared value |
| Magnets and keychains | €4–€10 | Family gifts, budget buyers | Cheap to post internationally |
Programs, posters and printed materials
Official event programs remain one of the most cherished forms of skating memorabilia, and the Torino 2019 edition did not disappoint. The senior competition program was a substantial glossy publication featuring profiles of every finalist, results from the qualifying events, venue maps, and full-page artistic photographs of the Palavela arena. Junior competition programs were produced separately, recognising that the under-21 categories operate as a distinct competition within the broader Final.
Programs typically retailed at €15 for the senior edition and €10 for the junior edition, with combined packages available for fans attending both competitions. For Australian collectors who had watched previous Finals through broadcasts, owning the official program offered a tangible connection to the event beyond the television coverage. Many Australian skating enthusiasts ordered programs through the official merchandise website after the competition, taking advantage of flat-rate international shipping that often arrived within two to three weeks via Australia Post's standard parcel service.
Posters and postcards formed a parallel category of printed merchandise. A3-sized posters featuring dramatic action shots of previous Grand Prix champions retailed at around €10, while smaller postcards came in packs of five for €5. These items were particularly popular among younger Australian skaters who decorated their bedrooms and training bags with images of their heroes. Schools and figure skating clubs in cities like Brisbane and Perth sometimes ordered bulk quantities to use as fundraising materials or display pieces in their clubhouses.
Arena-exclusive and limited releases
The Palavela itself hosted a dedicated merchandise booth inside the venue, with several items sold only on location during the four-day competition. These arena-exclusive pieces included numbered print runs of commemorative posters, signed photographs of competing skaters, and special edition pins released in quantities of just a few hundred. For fans who managed to attend in person, these items carried an additional layer of meaning because they could only be acquired by being there.
Australian fans who travelled to Turin for the event spoke of long queues forming before each afternoon session, particularly around the lunch break when most spectators moved through the concourse. The exclusivity drove demand: a numbered poster that might have been easy to walk past on day one often sold out by the third day of competition. For collectors, the thrill of the chase was part of the appeal, and many returned home to Australia with carefully documented purchases, complete with receipts and event-day dates.
A small number of items were released only on the final day of competition, including a special exhibition gala program that commemorated the traditional end-of-event celebration skate. This program, sold only at the merchandise booth during the gala performance, became one of the most sought-after pieces of the entire merchandise range. Fans who had attended multiple days of competition sometimes left the gala program in their collection as the centrepiece, surrounded by pins and smaller keepsakes from earlier sessions.
Online availability and shipping to Australia
For Australian fans who could not attend in person, the online merchandise store provided the primary avenue for acquiring official Torino 2019 items. The store operated through the main event website and remained active for several months after the competition concluded, allowing fans in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and regional centres to place orders at their convenience. Payment could be made in euros, and most orders shipped within five to ten business days of placement.
Shipping costs to Australia varied depending on the weight and dimensions of the order. Lightweight items such as pins and postcards typically shipped via standard international post for around €8 to €12, while heavier apparel orders cost €20 to €35 depending on the destination. Australian shoppers also needed to consider that orders above A$1,000 in value attracted the 10 per cent Goods and Services Tax, though most individual merchandise orders sat well below this threshold. Some fans used consolidated shipping services to combine multiple orders into a single parcel, reducing the per-item shipping cost.
For Australian buyers, timing mattered. Orders placed shortly after the competition tended to arrive faster because warehouses were still actively fulfilling them, while orders placed months later sometimes faced delays as stock levels changed. Fans who wanted specific items were advised to order early rather than wait, particularly for limited-edition pieces where stock could sell out unexpectedly. The event's official event updates page regularly posted announcements about restocks and new arrivals, giving collectors a way to track availability from the other side of the world.
Practical suggestions for collectors and souvenir hunters
- Set a budget in Australian dollars before browsing to avoid overspending once conversion rates come into play.
- Photograph any arena-exclusive items with their receipts, including the date and session, for future provenance.
- Order pins and smaller items first, since these ship cheaply and rarely attract customs scrutiny.
- Join Australian figure skating collector groups online to trade duplicates and find rare pieces from previous Finals.
- Keep packaging flat where possible to reduce international shipping costs and avoid damage in transit.
- Store programs and posters in acid-free sleeves to preserve them for long-term display or future resale.
- Compare courier and standard post options, since Australia Post's economy service can save money on non-urgent parcels.
Browse the full range, place an order, and bring a piece of the Palavela home to Australia. Whether you collect pins, frame posters, or wear your scarf to the next local skating session, the official Torino 2019 merchandise offers a lasting connection to one of the most memorable Finals in recent memory. Start your collection today and share the story of the competition with fellow fans at your home rink, keeping the spirit of the Grand Prix Final alive long after the lights went down in Turin.