Just days before the Milan Olympics, plenty of athletes who seem to be ready for the Games are struggling with unexpected issues. These issues range from financial struggles to unexpected last-minute modifications right before the prestigious event. And the latter is the exact problem that one figure skater is dealing with.

In a message posted to his Instagram, Spanish figure skating Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate delivered an unfortunate update regarding the Milan Olympics.

“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 began.

“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. 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,” he continued.

Set to the music from the Despicable Me series, the six-time Spanish national champion’s short program was a crowd pleaser. Though Guarino Sabate finished in 18th at last month’s European Championships, his short program was a hit in Sheffield, with the audience clapping and cheering throughout.

However, despite going through all the official procedures, he was denied in the very last moment, as the music was not cleared for use by the rights holder, who wrote to inform his team that it could not be used at the Olympics.

“Finding this out last Friday, so close to the biggest competition of my life, was incredibly disappointing,” he said. “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. I promise to step on the ice with everything I have and deliver programs that both you and I can be proud of.”

So, the moment this Instagram post went viral on different social media platforms, it quickly garnered the attention of many disappointed figure skating fans.

Fans are left unhappy by the forced removal of the program ahead of the Olympics

Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate is one of many figure skaters who will arrive in Italy for the Milan Olympics. However, the update around his program will force him to adapt to a new one, leaving him a lot less time to practice before the Games. And this didn’t please social media.

British businessman and former Marketing and Broadcast Rights Director of the IOC, Michael Payne, expressed his concerns, stating, “What is the real story @ISU_Figure. Surely not possible to make a change like this days before the Olympics? The lawyers really couldn’t find a solution for the copyright issues – there must be something else behind this decision.”

Though Guarino Sabate is reportedly returning to his previous season’s short program, it creates more confusion since that program was reimagined into his current free program.

“I think it’s extremely irresponsible on the part of whoever’s clearing programs in the ISU/olympics cause wdym athletes are getting this news DAYS before they compete at the OLYMPICS. this is a potentially career-ruining problem and you’re telling them just days before???” this fan questioned. Similarly, another comment read, “Absolutely insane!!! Where can we get answers? The athletes deserve better!!!”

Just like Sabate Guarino, Canadian ice dancers Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain Le Gac have been navigating a similar problem. It was in December that the duo learned that their 1990s-themed Prince rhythm dance wouldn’t fly at Olympics due to unresolved music rights issues of the two Prince songs used.

“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 short notices that these Olympians have received regarding the change of their program have made the public furious. “They had a whole season to keep this in check and decided to run him over TWO WEEKS before the biggest competition of anyone’s career??”questioned one fan.

This fan wrote, “It’s more than irresponsible, it is actually unfair because they had an infinite amount of chances to check this out and yet they decided not to own their mistake but to ruin his work :(”

Music is a vital part of any figure skating program and finding last minute replacements can hurt a skater’s artistry, scores and overall performance. Such avoidable issues showcase a broader issue regarding the organizations behind the competition that manage the copyright system.