Olympic Skater Has ‘Minions’ Music Rights Approved for Games

Spanish athlete Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate won’t have to find a new song to skate to at the Winter Olympics after all.

After he initially faced copyright issues, the 26-year-old figure skating champion said he’s been granted permission to perform his fan-favorite “Minions” routine in Milan. He’s skated to the sounds of the pint-sized agents of chaos, while dressed in their signature uniform of a yellow shirt and blue overalls, throughout the season. Sabate said Universal had reconsidered and granted the rights after an outpouring of social media support.

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“Huge THANK YOU to everyone who reposted, shared, and supported,” Sabate wrote on his Instagram stories. “Because of you, Universal Studios reconsidered and officially granted the rights for this one special occasion. I’m so happy to see that the minions hitting Olympic ice is becoming real again!!”

(Universal Pictures shares a parent company with NBC, which airs the Olympics.)

Earlier in the week, Sabate, who is making his Olympic debut in Milan, said he was informed that Universal Pictures, the studio behind the “Minions” film franchise, wasn’t going to grant him permission to use the pitchy, energetic song on the Olympic ice. That meant he’d have to find new music for the short program before the men’s event starts on Feb. 10.

“This season I have competed with my ‘Minions’ routine to bring joy and a fun style to the ice, while complying with all of the obligatory elements and demonstrating that ice skating as a male Olympic figure skater can also be fun,” he wrote in a lengthy statement on his Instagram stories. Sabate noted that he “followed all required procedures and submitted my music through the ISU [International Skating Union] ClicknClear system back in August” and “competed with this program throughout the entire season.”

He continued, “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.”

Before the decision was reversed, Sabate said he would remained optimistic: “I will face this challenge head-on and do everything I can to make the best of the situation.”