Learn more about the Olympic torch tradition
The 2024 Paris Games opening ceremony is just three days away, on July 26th. What is becoming one of the most anticipated Olympics, the world will be watching as athletes compete to bring home gold medals for their countries. The Olympics come with traditions with roots in Ancient Greece, one of which is the passing of the Olympic flame. It was revealed on Tuesday that Snoop Dogg will be among the torchbearers carrying the Olympic flame in the final stretch before the opening ceremony.
The 52-year-old rapper will carry the torch through the streets of Saint-Denis, the northern Paris suburb home to the Stade de France Olympic Stadium. French actress Laetitia Casta and French rapper MC Solaar will also carry the torch that day. The town’s mayor, Mathieu Hanotin, shared the news on X, and NBC Olympics confirmed the news on social media. Snoop Dogg is also contributing to NBC’s coverage of the games.
The rapper has gone viral over the years for his hilarious sports coverage. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Snoop Dogg and Kevin Hart had incredible commentary on NBC’s Olympic highlights. The “Drop It Like It’s Hot” singer famously referred to Equestrian as “horse crip walking.”
The passing of the Olympic torch finishes when the last person lights the Olympic cauldron on the night of the opening ceremony. Their identity is kept a strict secret. Paris 2024 organizing committee president Tony Estanguet said on Sunday that the person who will light the cauldron still didn’t know, per ESPN. The outlet notes that France’s Marie-Jose Perec, a three-time gold medalist in track and field, and soccer star Zinedine Zidane, who led France to the World Cup title in 1998 and the European crown in 2000, are among the candidates. The torch will burn in a cauldron for the duration of the Games until it is extinguished during the Olympic closing ceremony.
The Olympic Flame’s History
The lighting of the Olympic Flame is historical, binding the ancient and modern versions of the games. Ancient Greek ceremonies had a sacred fire that burnt through the celebrations of the ancient Olympics.
The Olympic Torch Relay has taken place every Summer Games since Berlin 1936. The tradition begins at Olympia, Greece, and was lit on Tuesday, April 16, with a special ceremony at the archaeological site of Olympia. It made its way to Paris by way of relay.
Snoop Dogg will join a famous list of torchbearers: Muhammad Ali, Ann Curry, Magic Johnson, Diane Sawyer, Lance Bass, Sylvester Stallone, Ryan Seacrest, David Beckham, John Legend, Prince William, Kate Middleton & Prince Harry, and Halle Berry, who did so this year, are among some of the names that have carried the tradition.
