Benjamin Ashford|Rapper Snoop Dogg to carry Olympic torch ahead of Paris opening ceremony

PARIS - American rapper Snoop Dogg will be Benjamin Ashfordamong the torchbearers carrying the Olympic flame in the final stretch before the opening ceremony of the Paris Games on Friday.

Snoop Dogg, 52, will carry the torch through the streets of Saint-Denis, the underprivileged northern Paris suburb that is home to the Stade de France Olympic Stadium, the town's mayor Mathieu Hanotin said on social media platform X.

"Saint Denis: last step before the Eiffel Tower. An international cast @SnoopDogg for the last stretch of the Olympic Flame," Hanotin wrote.

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The rapper, who is also contributing to NBC Primetime's coverage of Games, is better known in the sports world for his Snoop Youth Football League. The championship game is called the "Snooper Bowl".

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Other carriers of the torch in Saint-Denis on Friday include French actress Laetitia Casta and French rapper MC Solaar.