Frenzied fans covet cool cups

Most common

Trampoline, tennis, equestrian, taekwondo and water polo were the most common cups found on Sunday at the complex that's home to boxing, table tennis, badminton and weightlifting.

Brazilian native Sergio De Oliveira, now of Hoboken, New Jersey, wore his Team USA hat and shirt and gripped his equestrian cup.

De Oliveira and husband Terry Miles are trying to collect the cups of all 14 events they've seen at theses Games.

Miles had no idea that when he bought a gymnastics cup at the opening ceremony, the hunk of plastic would soon spark a memorabilia frenzy.

"It was huge we got it all," Miles said. "Some of these sports are very difficult to find."

He doesn't drink, leaving all the beer guzzling to De Oliveira.

They have about 10 cups so far, but had yet to find their No 1 target - archery. They also wanted synchronized diving.

But don't expect the couple to auction the cups on eBay to recoup the 130 reals they've spent so far on their collectibles. They are keeping most of them and will share a few with friends back home.

Carmen Pruneda, of San Antonio, Texas, had no interest in sipping any light blonde lager.

"I'm looking for cups, but I don't drink beer," she said.

Pruneda has traded pins for cups, and cups for pins.

She hit a bit of good luck when a woman dropped a cup on an escalator. The woman asked Pruneda if she was a collector. When she answered yes, the stranger gave her both of her cups, boosting Pruneda's total to six.

One beer server said it was forbidden to just purchase a cup.

The trinkets are a steal compared with other Olympic merchandise. Hats are going for about 60 reals, T-shirts for 80 to 100 and key chains are 35.

One man bought a beach towel at the souvenir stand - a soft landing spot for the three cups he then stuffed inside his shopping bag.

While stuffed trash bags and overflowing bins of aluminum beer cans are an eyesore at the Games, there's not a plastic cup around to recycle.

"It has been a good way to keep litter down," Rodriguez said.