Team GB becomes the first Olympic team to launch an official NFT collection

Team GB will launch an NFT storefront to showcase the achievements British Olympic athletes.

Commemorating the opening of the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games, Team GB became the first Olympic Team to create a native storefront for non-fungible tokens (NFTs). 

The partnership with leading NFT commerce provider Tokns enables Team GB to launch a storefront that houses featured releases from artists and an exclusive range of Ben Sherman memorabilia. Ben Sherman is an official supporter of Team GB and provides the opening and closing ceremony uniforms for Team GB at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Daily NFT ‘drops’ will feature auctions of unique one-of-one items and collections of fixed-price NFTs available for purchase with either crypto or FIAT currencies.

The partnership between Team GB and Tokns will run from the beginning of the Summer Games to the end of the Winter Games in Beijing next year and includes the celebrations of 125 years of British Olympians at the Games, which the team is marking throughout 2021. 

To kickstart the collection, Team GB Gymnast Max Whitlock will launch an NFT celebrating his double gold medal-winning achievements in Rio, ahead of his bid to win gold again in Tokyo.

“I am delighted to launch my first NFT and work with Team GB in this new and exciting space. Giving fans an opportunity to celebrate with athletes and the team and own these special moments,” said Whitlock.

The new crypto-based initiative from Team GB comes as NFTs are experiencing a renewed surge in popularity. Team GB and Tokns will also work on ensuring the Team GB NFT programme will be carbon net positive, 

“We are delighted to partner with Tokns ahead of what is set to be a very different Games for our Olympians in Tokyo,” said Tim Ellerton, Team GB Commercial Director.

“Particularly following the announcement that there will be no fans or spectators present at the Games, we are delighted that we can provide moments digitally that will be available for fans and collectors.

“This is Team GB’s first venture into NFTs, and we are looking forward to making our mark in this fast-developing market.”

Tokns co-founders Matthew Baxter and Jamie Tedford also commented on the deal, saying the launch brought them a step closer to demystifying NFTs.

“Team GB shares this mission, and we are proud to have been selected as their Official NFT Storefront provider,” they said in a statement.

“Team GB have shown ingenuity and foresight to become the first-ever Olympic team with its own NFT marketplace. We look forward to collaborating with them to launch this easy-access, secure and customisable shop for fans to purchase NFTs.”

The campaign is anchored by the work of Team GB’s native Artist, Ben Mosley. Daily, throughout the games, he will create wall paintings that capture the most inspiring Team GB moments from the previous day. 

Every evening, these creations will be bundled with various physical and experiential offerings, minted to the blockchain and auctioned off to the highest bidder. Fans are welcome to join in the experience at the Team GB Medal Moments Studio at 3 Carnaby Street, London. The result will be a one-of-a-kind mural that will be digitised, minted and auctioned.

“I’m thrilled to extend my partnership with Team GB to this new creative canvas of NFTs,” added Mosley.

“So much so that we’ve decided to tokenise my newest painting and auction it off through the Team GB NFT store.”