Ilia Malinin with Snoop Dogg. © ISU

Snoop Dogg is impressed by figure skaters at the Olympics

He was already the real star in Paris, now Snoop Dogg is back under the Olympic rings: The rap icon will also be covering the Winter Games in Milan and Cortina, which begin on Friday, for the US broadcaster NBC.

February 03, 2026

From: dpa

A few days before the opening, he paid a visit to two-time world figure skating champion Ilia Malinin during his training session – and immediately fulfilled a promise. "He's a ten out of ten," Snoop said of the strong gold medal favorite from the USA, holding up all his fingers. "And if I had five more hands, I'd hold those up too." Malinin showed the musician some of his impressive jumps and also wowed Snoop with a backflip.

Last fall, it was announced that Snoop Dogg would be going to the Winter Games. "I'm going to bring my thick jackets, snow pants, goggles, and skates, and I'm definitely going to hit the ice," Snoop said at the time. The 54-year-old put that into practice right there in the ice rink, taking a spin on the ice resurfacer.

Honorary title for Coach Snoop

Back in Paris 2024, the sports fan had already made appearances at many competition venues, almost always causing a stir. For example, the skateboarding final was briefly interrupted when Snoop had to leave mid-competition, but the athletes were eager to give him a high-five. An appearance at the dressage event went viral online. Before the opening ceremony, he was also given the honor of carrying the Olympic torch, before making his own appearance at the closing ceremony.


In Milan and Cortina, Snoop is also serving as the first honorary coach in the history of the US team. The US Olympic Committee announced this in December. "The athletes of the USA are the real stars," said Coach Snoop. "I'm just here to cheer them on, motivate them, and maybe offer some advice from the sidelines."