When Minions Meet Olympic Ice

A Spanish figure skater’s last-minute battle to keep his beloved Minions routine shows how copyright law is reshaping Olympic competition.

The Yellow Crisis

Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate obtained the final approval he needed for his music on Friday, allowing the Spanish figure skater to perform his short program — set to a medley from the animated comedy from Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment — when the men’s competition begins at the Milan Cortina Games on Tuesday night. The holdup was the song “Freedom” by the American musician and producer Pharrell Williams. Just hours before Olympic competition began, the 26-year-old skater secured the rights to all four songs in his Minions medley. Sabate had been performing the fan-favorite program all season, thinking he had the proper approval through a system called ClicknClear to use four cuts of music Minions. Last week, Universal Studios asked for him to provide more details on the music Sabate was using and the Minions-inspired outfit that he had been wearing.

From Despair to Dancing

At one point, Sabate’s situation had grown so dire that he began practicing his Bee Gee-inspired short program from last year. But as news of his plight came out, and he began to get approval for some of the music, his hopes of performing Minions began to grow. The skater’s predicament captured hearts worldwide. “Right now, I just want to give my all on the ice and perform a program worthy of the love I’ve received from around the world,” Sabate said. “I’m thrilled by the love that a small skater from a small federation has received.” He even practiced the program, which opens with peals of laughter from the characters, during an early session Thursday.

The New Copyright Reality

The copyright issue has become a big problem in figure skating, where for years skaters could only use music without words, usually considered part of the public domain. But when the rules changed in 2014, and more modern music began to be used in competition, some artists began to object to their work being used without the proper permission. After the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, American pairs skaters Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier were served with a lawsuit for the alleged unsanctioned use of Heavy Young Heathens’ “House of the Rising Sun” in their routine. The suit, which also named NBC for broadcasting the performance, was settled later that year for an undisclosed amount.

Not Just Minions

Two-time world medalist Loena Hendrickx of Belgium also had copyright issues ahead of the Olympics. The Belgian had been performing her short program to “Ashes” by Celine Dion from the film “Deadpool 2.” But after the European championships last month, her brother and coach, Jorik Hendrickx, and choreographer Adam Solya became concerned that the music would not be approved for the Olympics, and they decided to change the soundtrack at the last minute. Hendrickx is now performing a slightly modified program to “I Surrender,” another song by Dion, which has the same rhythm and feel as “Ashes.” Guarino, who was named to the Spanish Olympic team in December, is not the only athlete facing this issue; last month, Canadian ice dancers Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain LeGac said they were preparing a new program to compete in Milan when their existing routine, set to music by Prince, did not receive proper licensing clearances for the Games.

Victory for the Yellow Army

“I’m so happy to announce that we’ve done it! We’ve secured the licenses for all four songs, and I’ll be able to skate the Minions at the Olympic Games,” Sabate wrote on social media. “It hasn’t been an easy process, but the support of everyone who has followed my case has been key to keeping me motivated and optimistic these past few days.” The 26-year-old Sabate is not considered a medal contender at the Olympics; he was 20th at the world championships last year. But after the past week, he figures to have plenty of support when he brings the Minions with him Tuesday night. Sometimes the biggest victories happen before you even step on the ice.