The news came days before the Spanish figure skater makes his Olympic debut at the Winter Games in Milan.
WASHINGTON — Figure skater Tomàs-Llorenç Guarino Sabaté will not be able to use his usual program music during the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics.
The figure skater, making his Olympic debut and representing Spain, had used music from the “Minions” franchise throughout his routine, performing in a yellow shirt and denim overalls to resemble the iconic characters. Days before the Winter Olympics, Sabaté said his music was not cleared due to a copyright issue.
“Hi everyone … this season I competed with my Minions short program to bring joy and a playful style to the ice while still meeting every required element to show that skating as a male Olympic figure skater can be fun,” he shared on his Instagram Story. “I followed all required procedures and submitted my music through the ISU ClicknClear system back in August, and l competed with this program throughout the entire season.
“Unfortunately, just days before the Olympic inauguration, I was informed that I am no longer permitted to use this program due to copyright clearance issues,” Sabaté said. “Finding this out last Friday, so close to the biggest competition of my life, was incredibly disappointing. Nevertheless, I will face this challenge head-on and do everything I can to make the best of the situation.
“To my fans, I wish I had better news, but I’m grateful beyond words for your support this season,” Sabaté said on Monday. “I promise to step on the ice with everything I have and deliver programs that both you and I can be proud of.”
The men’s short program is scheduled for Feb. 10, giving Sabaté just over a week to develop a new plan for the competition.
Sabaté is far from the only one on the ice facing music issues this season.
In January, U.S. figure skater Alysa Liu said her free skate to Lady Gaga’s “Bloody Mary” is unlikely to be seen at the Winter Olympics.
“I don’t even think I’m going to do [it] at the Olympics,” Liu told Olympics.com last month. “But I really wanted to do it once at least. … I always wanted to do ‘MacArthur Park’ for the individual free skate event.”
Liu debuted the original program in September 2025, but since then, it has undergone several changes amid music rights issues.
“At first I wanted the orchestral version, but … you can’t just use someone’s orchestral version of ‘Bloody Mary’ off YouTube,” Liu said to Olympics.com. “So, no orchestral, no ‘Bloody Mary.’ That’s how it was in my head.”
Despite the issues, Liu told Olympics.com that her program with “MacArthur Park” was always the vision for the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
During the last Winter Olympics, U.S. pairs figure skaters Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier were sued by a music duo over a copyright violation. The pair used the recording of “House of the Rising Sun,” owned by Heavy Young Heathens. The two brothers produce music for use in movies, TV shows, video games and commercials.