W hen the rapper Snoop Dogg was asked how he had prepared for his new role as a primetime Olympics correspondent for the US TV network NBC during the Paris Games, he responded with characteristic swagger. “My preparation for primetime is being me,” he said. “Google me.
Look me up, dog.” As the Paris 2024 Olympics officially open on Friday, the one-time pimp turned rapper has taken the city of light by storm after being chosen to carry the Olympic torch through its final stages in Saint-Denis to mark the beginning of the 33rd Games. Speaking before the opening ceremony , which will see more than 8,000 of the world’s top athletes transported along 6km of the Seine in a sporting armada as more than 300,000 people look on, the 52-year-old became emotional as he spoke about the honour, expressing a smidgen of surprise that France were “allowing” him to do it.
“I look at this as a prestigious honour and something that I truly respect. I would have never dreamed of nothing like this,” he said. Did somethin today.
💯👊🏿🔥 #FollowTheDogg pic.twitter.com/G4ugnUFssO The rapper has become a key figure of NBC’s efforts to energise its coverage of the Games, attract a younger audience and by using celebrity sparkle.
The broadcaster – which was accused of producing “ inescapable Olympic televisual vomit ” from the last Olympics in Tokyo – is hoping to achieve record advertising support for its coverage, which has already ticked up to $1.2bn. NBC, which i.