Snoop Dogg, the king of side quests, is currently in Italy for the 2026 Winter Olympics and he's already done so much upon his arrival. That includes things such as riding on the side of a Zamboni at the Milano Ice Skating arena. But while he looks like he had a blast, he's also got a job to fulfill as a special news correspondent.
On top of providing his "unique perspective to viewers during NBCUniversal’s Winter Olympic primetime coverage," he's also tasked with chatting with the incredible athletes. He did just that as he gave viewers a look at how insane Ilia Malinin is.
If you don't know, the 21-year-old is a two-time world champion figure skater. He's also recognized for being the only competitor in the sport to complete a fully rotated quadruple Axel. It's widely regarded as the most challenging move to pull off. As a result of this feat, fans call him the "Quad God."
Prior to watching Malinin skate, Snoop Dogg chatted with him and gave him a lot of love for his hard work. "You a legend, man! You’re going for a gold medal." He later praised Malinin for being a huge inspiration to any kid who wants to become an Olympic athlete.
"It’s so many kids that want to be like you right now, man," Dogg told him.
How Long Are The 2026 Winter Olympics?
Ilia was just as awestruck by the rapper and entrepreneur, though. "Dude, I’m speechless right now, honestly," he admitted in an NBC Olympics clip caught by Billboard. After comparing jewelry, Snoop caught Malinin by surprise as he showed off his shirt with his face on it.
After all of that, Dogg got to watch the phenom casually pull off some incredible moves on the ice. The California native hyped him up all throughout the warmup session with hilarious commentary. "Oh, he got moves too! Go ahead Quad God! I like the way you move! Damn! You see how he hit that?"
You'll have roughly two weeks to catch Ilia and all of the other tremendous stars from all of the participating countries. The 2026 Winter Olympics really get underway this weekend, with the opening ceremony going down tonight at 8 p.m. local time. You can watch them all on NBC and streaming on Peacock. The games conclude on February 22. If you want the full schedule, check the link here.
