Support truly
independent journalism
Hip-hop legend Snoop Dogg sprinkled some celebrity magic on the Olympics torch relay in Paris as he carried the flame around the streets of Saint-Denis ahead of the opening ceremony later this evening.
Sporting a pair of suitably golden trainers, the rapper and actor carried the Olympic flame on a short leg around the Stade de France in the northern Paris suburb on a damp Friday morning.
Local mayor Mathieu Hanotin announced earlier in the week Snoop Dogg would be part of the relay and locals certainly came out to support. A huge cheer erupted as he appeared at the top of a bridge exiting the stadium area, pumping up to the crowds as he made his way down to the Seine to hand on the flame for its final journey along the river.
Snoop (real name Calvin Broadus Jr) expressed his gratitude at the opportunity in an interview on Wednesday.
“I look at this as a prestigious honour and something I truly respect. I would have never dreamed of nothing like this,” he said. “I’m going to be on my best behaviour. I’m going to be on my best athleticism. I’ll be able to breathe slow to walk fast and hold the torch with a smile on my face, because I realise how prestigious this event is.”
The Olympic torch has crossed France since starting its journey in May, being carried by the great and the good of the celebrity sporting world, including former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, F1 driver Charles Leclerc and actress Halle Berry. Other carriers of the torch in Saint-Denis on Friday included French actress Laetitia Casta and French rapper MC Solaar.
Snoop will be busy this summer as he is also contributing to American TV channel NBC’s coverage of the Olympics. The rapper has some previous broadcast experience – having co-commentated on UFC fights due to his friendship with UFC boss Dana White and having joined comedian Kevin Hart for some light-hearted presenting on NBC’s Peacock online streaming service during the last Olympics in Tokyo.
This year, he’ll have a more formal role by contributing to the Olympics Primetime coverage on NBC’s main channel on a nightly basis.
He has gone to the practice facilities to visit various teams such as judo, weightlifting, 3x3 basketball and fencing.
“I’m going to show you why they made me the man to do it,” he said. “I’m going to put all of my resources and energy around it with peace, love and harmony. That’s what the Olympics is all about. I feel like that’s why they chose me. That’s what I represent.”
