When Snoop Dogg Met Curling

The rap legend traded his microphone for a curling stone at the 2026 Winter Olympics, creating one of the most unexpected sports moments of the year.

The Honorary Coach Takes the Ice

Snoop Dogg, serving as honorary coach for Team USA and NBC correspondent, made a surprise visit to the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium to support the American mixed doubles team. He sat next to Korey Dropkin’s mother during Team USA’s 7-5 victory over Canada, wearing a custom jacket emblazoned with the faces of the American curling pair. The sight of the 54-year-old rap icon cheering from the stands was surreal enough, but things got even better when he decided to try the sport himself.

Stone Cold Skills

Following the conclusion of the morning’s action, Snoop took to the ice to have a go at throwing a stone and sweeping, much to the delight of the Italian crowd. He was photographed learning some of the basics of curling from Team USA members Daniel Casper and Tabitha Peterson Lovick. The hip-hop icon got hands-on with the sport and distributed “Coach Snoop” beanies and chains featuring the logo of his music label Death Row Records to players and coaches.

Unexpected Celebrity Encounters

Snoop stunned Team GB’s Bruce Mouat and Jennifer Dodds by asking them for a selfie after they had just finished their match with Sweden. “I almost fainted,” said Mouat. “He said he’d heard about us, which was quite crazy.” The British curler noted the positive impact: “The great thing about having Snoop Dogg at curling is that it makes the audience wider for curling. The more people see it on the news, the more they might give it a go.”

From Paris to Cortina

The legendary rapper is already a huge Olympics aficionado — he memorably carried the Olympic torch in Paris and made headlines with his inspiring attire while attending events in 2024. At the 2026 Games, Snoop carried the Olympic flame through the streets of Gallarate on Wednesday. He also caught a ride on an ice resurfacing machine as it zipped around the Milano Ice Skating Arena just days before the Opening Ceremony.

More Than Just Entertainment

Dropkin watched the entertainment star smile at him while putting his arm around Dropkin’s mom, and could hardly believe the scene. “I don’t even know if my mom knows Snoop,” Dropkin remarked afterwards, “but she does now.” Snoop said that Dropkin’s mother was telling him all about curling during the game. “It’s fun to bring that kind of light to curling,” noted USA Curling National Team Director Phill Drobnick. The rapper’s presence transformed what could have been just another Olympic event into a viral moment that brought new eyes to the sport.