Snoop Dogg named US ‘honorary coach’ for Winter Olympics

American rapper Snoop Dogg has been named an ‘honorary coach’ for Team USA at next year’s Winter Olympics.

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) announced on Thursday the 54-year-old will take on “a volunteer role celebrating and supporting America’s athletes off the field of play”.

Snoop Dogg was a big presence for the US during the summer Games in Paris last year, serving as a special correspondent for broadcaster NBC’s Olympics coverage, as well as performing at the handover ceremony for Los Angeles 2028.

The Winter Games take place in Milan and Cortina, Italy, from 6-22 February.

USOPC said Snoop Dogg “will lend his signature humour and heart” to help motivate and inspire US athletes, while the organisation’s chief executive officer Sarah Hirshland said the hip-hop star’s “enthusiasm for the Olympic and Paralympic movement is contagious”.

Snoop Dogg added: “This team represents the best of what sport can be: talent, heart and hustle. If I can bring a little more love and motivation to that, that’s a win for me.”