Rapper and entertainment mogul Snoop Dogg is introduced as Team USA’s first-ever honorary coach for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, joining the USOPC’s “Team Behind the Team” to help boost athlete morale.
Photo courtesy of AFP
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Snoop Dogg, better known for shaping West Coast hip-hop than winter sports, has officially stepped into the Olympic arena, this time as Team USA’s first-ever honorary coach for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games, according to a Reuters report.
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) announced the appointment on Thursday, positioning the rapper and entertainment icon as part of its “Team Behind the Team,” a group that includes coaches, medical staff, administrators, and partners tasked with supporting American athletes in their medal push.
“Team USA athletes are the real stars – I’m just here to cheer, uplift and maybe drop a little wisdom from the sidelines,” Snoop said, adding that the athletes’ “talent, heart and hustle” make the team worth rallying behind.
USOPC officials said the connection was immediate when Snoop met Team USA athletes, highlighting the mutual respect and enthusiasm that defined those early interactions. His energy, they said, has only strengthened the committee’s decision to bring him deeper into the fold.
Snoop, born Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., was already a standout personality at the Paris Olympics, where he served as an unofficial hype-man for Team USA and later headlined a beach party in Long Beach during the handover ceremony for Los Angeles 2028. That experience, he said, left a lasting impression.
“From the moment I rolled into Paris, I was instantly welcomed into the USOPC family,” Snoop recalled. Feeling the “energy, pride and love of sport,” he said the work of both athletes and staff “had me hooked from day one.”
The 54-year-old Californian brings with him a long-running commitment to grassroots sports through the Snoop Youth Football League, which has served more than 15,000 young athletes, including participants with disabilities, according to the USOPC.
His new honorary coaching role comes on top of his previously announced partnership with NBCUniversal for coverage of the Milano Cortina Games, signaling that his foray into the Olympic movement is no mere cameo.
