The time-honored tradition of the Olympic Torch Relay was unexpectedly infused with pure West Coast hip-hop flair on July 26, 2024, the final day of its journey to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The cause of this seismic shift in ceremony? Legendary rapper Snoop Dogg, who transformed the formal run into a street celebration.
Chosen as one of the final torchbearers before the Opening Ceremony, Snoop Dogg—known for his smooth demeanor and effortless swagger—delivered a performance that was pure, unfiltered “Doggfather.” He carried the Olympic flame on a short leg around the Stade de France in the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis. Unlike the focused, serious run typically performed by athletes, Snoop Dogg turned his segment into a mini-concert walk.
Dressed in a crisp white Olympic tracksuit and sporting suitably golden trainers, Snoop Dogg walked, bobbed, and even hit a brief Crip walk as he descended the stairs and made his way to the Seine River. The Crip walk, a dance originating from the streets of Los Angeles, is an iconic part of his personal brand and performance style.
The response from the onlookers was immediate and deafening. Huge cheers erupted as he appeared, waving to fans and pumping up the crowds with the easy charisma of someone walking through their own music video. Videos of the moment instantly went viral, capturing the unique collision of Olympic history and hip-hop culture.
Snoop Dogg’s involvement in the Paris 2024 Olympics was far more extensive than just his leg of the relay. He served as a special correspondent for the American network NBC for the duration of the Games, a continuation of his viral success during the Tokyo 2020 Games where he famously described a dressage competitor’s horse as a “crip-walking horse.” The decision to choose the Los Angeles-born rapper—whose city will host the next Summer Olympics in 2028—was a bold move by Paris 2024 organizers to inject celebrity “shizzle” and street credibility into the event. It symbolized a major shift in the Olympics’ embrace of global pop culture, proving that even the most ancient traditions can be given a fresh, West Coast swagger.
@jeuxolympiques The crossover we didn’t know we needed 🤩 #paris2024 #olympics