Snoop Dogg to hoist Olympic torch on way to opening ceremony in Paris

Rapper Snoop Dogg will carry the Olympic torch through the streets of a Paris suburb Friday ahead of the opening ceremony for the 2024 Olympics.

The American entertainer will run with the flame through Saint-Denis, 5.8 miles north of Paris’ center and home to the Stade de France, which will host track and field and rugby events as well as the Closing Ceremony. Saint-Denis also houses the Aquatics Center and part of the Olympic Village.

“Saint-Denis, final stop before the Eiffel Tower! An international casting @SnoopDogg for the final journey of the Olympic flame,” Saint-Denis Mayor Mathieu Hanotin posted on X, as translated from French, Tuesday.

The ultimate destination for the flame is the  Olympic cauldron at the Tuileries Garden in front of the Louvre Museum.

The person selected to light the cauldron has not even been told, Paris 2024 Organizing Committee President Tony Estanguet said in a Reuters story Sunday.

In addition to being a torchbearer, Snoop Dogg is commentating on the Games as part of the NBC broadcast crew. The rapper is already in Paris, posting on social media Tuesday, “U ready? Paris 2024 Olympics ya digggg.”

Snoop Dogg, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, got in some practice for the torch relay by running a 200-meter exhibition race at the U.S. Olympic Trials last month, crossing the line at 34.44 seconds.

“34.44 for a 52-year-old? Ain’t bad,” he said, per a release on the Olympics website.

In his role as an NBC commentator, Snoop Dogg will offer takes and “explore the city’s iconic landmarks, attend Olympic competitions and events, and visit with the athletes, their friends and families,” NBC said in a release.