Olympic Figure Skater Scrambles To Change Music Days Before Competition Thanks To Copyright Snag

Imagine training all season, landing every jump, perfecting every spin… and then finding out two days before the Olympics that your music isn’t allowed. That’s the reality Russian figure skater Petr Gumennik just skated straight into.

The 23-year-old, competing as a neutral athlete at the Milan Cortina Winter Games, was forced to swap out his short program music at the last minute after learning he didn’t have proper copyright clearance.

Which feels like a detail someone maybe checks before the Olympics… but here we are.

Gumennik had spent the season performing to music from Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, building his routine around it. Then, right as the Games kicked off, he discovered the permissions weren’t in place. Plan B didn’t help much either. His previous program used music from Dune, which also couldn’t be cleared in time.

With the clock ticking, he pivoted to “Waltz 1805” by Edgar Hakobyan, one of the few pieces he could get approved quickly enough to compete.

No pressure. Just rewrite your entire Olympic program overnight.

Not just a one-skater problem

Gumennik isn’t the only athlete dealing with the legal side of artistic expression on ice. Spanish skater Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate also had to scramble after discovering his short program music, a medley from Minions, was at risk of being rejected by Universal Studios.

Yes. Even the Minions have lawyers.

Sabate had been performing the routine all season before suddenly needing approval at Olympic speed, which is slightly less fun when paperwork is involved.

Olympic dreams… with a licensing department

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Figure skating has always balanced sport and performance, but moments like this are a reminder that behind every dramatic routine is a mountain of logistics, contracts, and permissions.

Fans see the costumes and choreography.
Athletes see jumps, timing… and apparently copyright law.

The men’s competition kicks off Tuesday night with the short program, where Gumennik will debut his last-minute musical pivot. Whether it throws off his performance or fuels it remains to be seen.

One thing’s certain: nothing says “Olympic pressure” quite like changing your entire vibe days before stepping onto the ice.