At the 2022 Beijing Olympics, U.S. pairs figure skaters Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier performed their short program to a song by the Heavy Young Heathens. But afterward, they were handed a copyright infringement lawsuit by the band for using unlicensed music. Now, some last minute changes are being made before such cases can again arise at Milano Cortina.

Recently, Spanish figure skater Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate announced on Instagram that he can no longer use the music from the Despicable Me franchise for his playful “The Minions” short program at the Olympics, due to copyright clearance issues.

“I followed all required procedures and submitted my music through the ISU ClicknClear system back in August, and I competed with this program throughout the entire season,” he wrote.

“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. Finding this out last Friday, so close to the biggest competition of my life, was incredibly disappointing.”

With the Olympics set to begin in less than a week, the timing could not have been worse for Guarino Sabate, who only found out about the change on Friday. The men’s short program is scheduled for 10 February, leaving the Spaniard with just over a week to improvise.

While the IOC and International Figure Skating Union don’t directly investigate the music used by athletes, the holder of the rights can forbid the use of their music – a problem typically faced only with contemporary music.

According to Tony Wheeler of the The Skating Session podcast, the owner of the rights wrote to Guarino Sabate, informing him that the Minions music wasn’t actually cleared, despite the ISU check.

Wheeler also noted that Guarino Sabate now planned to return to his short program from the previous season set to a medley of Bee Gees songs. But the problem is that the Bee Gees medley was remade into his free program for the current season, meaning he will have to either skate two similar programs for the short program and free skate or return to his old free program as well.

Despite the unforeseen issues with the Milano Cortina Olympics knocking at the door, the Olympian didn’t lose his composure.

“Nevertheless, I will face this challenge head-on and do everything I can to make the best of the situation,” he added. “To my fans: I wish I had better news, but I’m grateful beyond words for your support this season. I promise to step on the ice with everything I have and deliver programs that both you and I can be proud of.”

In figure skating, copyright issues are a longstanding problem, especially in an Olympic season when clips and videos of programs set to potentially copyrighted music are broadcast and disseminated across the world. And Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate isn’t the first victim. There are more.

Other Olympians experiencing the same problem ahead of Milano Cortina

Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain Le Gac discovered last December that they couldn’t use the two Prince songs they chose for their 1990s-themed rhythm dance. They were planning to perform it at the Milano Cortina Olympic Games, but the pair wouldn’t be able to anymore due to an unresolved music rights issue.

“We got the news that it wouldn’t work, but it’s really just for the Olympics. The rest of the season is okay,” Le Gac said. The two were quite excited when they secured their place in the Games following their third-place finish at Canadian Nationals. But they too have been forced to find a last-minute fix.

And of course, in 2022 Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier had to battle against a copyright infringement lawsuit by the Heavy Young Heathens for using their cover of the song  “House of the Rising Sun.” In the end, the lawsuit settled for an undisclosed amount that was said to have been in the millions.

“It just honestly puts a bittersweet connection to that Olympic performance,” Knierim said afterward.

Similarly, Canadian pairs skaters, Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps had planned to skate their short program this season to a cover of Phil Collins’ hit song “In the Air.” But they quickly had to pivot when “they asked us for $50,000 to use the track in competitions,” per Stellato-Dudek.

So, whether it be the Canadian ice dance pair, Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate, or any other Olympian, clearance rights continue to be an additional hurdle to clear to reach glory at Milano Cortina.