Olympics Briefing: Snoop Dogg Rolls Through Paris

The rapper aims to bring the Games to a new audience.

View in browser|nytimes.com July 31, 2024 Follow along during the day's action with live coverage from The Athletic. Gabriela Bhaskar for The New York Times By Emmanuel Morgan Reporting from Paris The broadcasts of the Summer Olympics are a showcase for the athletes, of course. But NBCUniversal has also turned Paris into a playground for Snoop Dogg. The 16-time Grammy-nominated artist and popular mainstream personality is everywhere. There he was at the opening ceremony with the family of Simone Biles, chatting with the star gymnast on a video call. He was in the stands cheering emphatically with Caeleb Dressel's wife, Meghan, on Saturday as Dressel won gold in the men's 4x100-meter freestyle relay. Maybe you saw him on a television set delivering badminton highlights. "It don't stop till the casket drop," he said as two teams traded frantic volleys across the net. If it seems hard to keep up with Snoop Dogg, it is. He's a busy man, with a concert tour and a calendar full of other appearances. For about six months, NBC's public relations team and Snoop's management tried to nail down time for me to interview him for a story about his gig as a special correspondent for the network's Olympics telecasts. We finally got together during the U.S. Olympic track and field team trials in Eugene, Ore. One of our two interviews took place in the back of a cushy sprinter van, after he took a nap to recover from running a gimmick 200-meter dash. Snoop Dogg, an avid sports fan, seemed genuinely excited to discuss his role during these Olympics, and he spoke transparently about why he was hired. NBC's Olympic viewership has dropped starkly since the 2012 Games, and the network wanted someone who could rally fans and boost the athletes' stories. "They want me to be me and to have fun along the way — to bring across great sports and a global approach to the Olympics to let them know it's hip now," Snoop Dogg said. "It's 2024, so it's a new era, and the world we live in needs to have things that represent them." TODAY'S TOP STORY Daniel Berehulak/The New York Times War Gives Palestinian Olympians a Wider Role: Athlete-Diplomats The Israel-Hamas war has given the eight Palestinians competing in Paris Olympics a higher profile than usual. By Tariq Panja and Aaron Boxerman MEDAL COUNT     GOLD SILVER BRONZE TOTAL United States 4 11 11 26 France 5 9 4 18 China 6 6 2 14 Japan 7 2 4 13 Britain 4 5 3 12 Australia 6 4 1 11 See all medal counts Source: International Olympic Committee Results as of July 30, 5:03 p.m. E.T. Welcome to Day 5 Katie Ledecky, the star American swimmer, will try on Wednesday to secure her eighth gold medal in the 1,500-meter freestyle race, an event that everyone else knows they cannot win. You can also catch the men's all-around gymnastic finals and the dominant U.S. women's water polo team, in action against Italy. The Olympics are available on NBC and Peacock in the United States. MORE OLYMPICS COVERAGE Their Parents Fled War. Now South Sudan's Young Team Is in the Olympics. War, famine and floods have beleaguered the world's youngest nation. The arrival of its men's basketball team at the Paris Olympics is set to offer a modicum of hope. By Abdi Latif Dahir No, You Can't Beat an Olympic Table Tennis Player An N.B.A. star's trash talk was good-natured but typical, elite players said. They say they play along with it … to a point. By Andrew Keh and Chang W. Lee How to Teach a Horse to Dance A dressage rider explains how she and her horse, Jagerbomb, made it to the Olympics. By Alex Marshall and Bobby Beasley Some of our Olympics coverage — including these dispatches — will also be available in Spanish. You can read them here. Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Olympics Briefing from The New York Times. To stop receiving Olympics Briefing, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018