LAS VEGAS — Rapper Flavor Flav has expanded the invitation to his celebration of Olympic medal winning women in Las Vegas.
‘I want to go bigger and better,’ Flav said in a Feb. 24 Instagram video. “I want to bring all United States female Olympians and Paralympians, the ones that won medals.” In an Feb. 25 interview with USA TODAY, Flav added that all athletes would be welcomed to support the women’s delegation.
‘This is really for all athletes that’s out there, busting their butt and doing a good job to make United States look good,’ Flav said. ‘I want (the men) to be here, I want them to come out so they can help support their fellow women athletes.’
Flav confirmed in the interview that the idea to hold the celebration was sparked in the wake of President Donald Trump said he ‘probably would be impeached’ if he did not invite the women’s team to the State of the Union address along with the men.
‘The invitation that was given to the women, it was some type of mediocre invitation,’ Flav said. ‘So, I’m like, ‘hey, listen, it’s okay. I’ll give you guys a party. Don’t even worry about it.”
Hilary Knight, a forward on the gold-medal winning women’s hockey team, called the president’s comments ‘a distasteful joke’ that is ‘overshadowing a lot of the success’ of the women in Italy in a Feb. 25 interview on ESPN.
In the interview, Flav said that he ‘did not blame’ the women for being offended by the comments. ‘All the women want is to be recognized for a lot of the good that they do,’ he said. ‘They’re out there doing amazing work, not only that, but it’s also good entertainment as well. You know what I’m saying? All these girls want is to just be recognized.’
Melissa Katz, a representative for USA Hockey, said in a statement to USA TODAY that the team is ‘honored and grateful for the invitations and support they’ve received’ and that they will ‘engage with the opportunities as their schedules permit.’
Flavor Flav’s Olympic celebration taking shape
Flav said in the interview, and his representative later confirmed, that the celebration would take place July 16 through July 19. ‘I’m going to give them a parade, they’re definitely going to have a parade. And then also, I’m going to see what type of entertainment that I can put together,’ he said.
While the Public Enemy founding member did not provide specifics on how the celebration will unfold, he did say that he has it ‘planned out’ in his mind and that he is ‘just trying to execute’ that plan. ‘It looks historical, it looks fun and it looks like whoever comes out to this event is going to have a damn good time,’ Flav said.
Flav’s representative said that MGM Resorts and women-led sports media company The Gist will partner with Flav for the ‘She’s Got Game’ weekend.
USA TODAY has reached out to both companies for comment. USA TODAY has also reached out to Clark County, the jurisdiction that oversees the Las Vegas Strip, about the potential parade.
Flav said the celebration is intended to provide recognition that he has not seen provided to female athletes.
‘I just want people to support women’s sports more,’ Flav said. ‘I’m a girl dad, and I know what it’s like when my daughters do good and they want to be recognized for something and then they don’t get recognized for it.’
Flav served as the official hypeman for Team USA Bobsled and Skeleton team in Italy and for the U.S. water polo sides in Paris during the 2024 Summer Games.