Spanish skater says it’s ‘amazing’ to bring Minions to Olympic ice after music dispute

By JAMES ELLINGWORTH

MILAN (AP) — The Minions made it.

After a music rights dispute that took over the Winter Olympics, Spanish figure skater Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate donned his yellow-and-blue costume and brought the mischievous spirit of the Minions to Milan in the men’s short program Tuesday.

“It felt amazing” despite nerves and an early mistake, Sabate said after his performance to a soundtrack that starts with peals of laughter from the lovable children’s characters, who were introduced as the henchmen of criminal mastermind Gru in “Despicable Me.”

Sabate said the Minions are a way to express himself “even though I’m a little bit shy at the beginning,” and the dispute has shown just how much support he really has.

Sabate had been performing the fan-favorite program all season, thinking he already had the proper approval. It all changed suddenly last week when he revealed he’d been told he couldn’t use the music.

“When I did my post I was certain I wouldn’t do the Minions,” he said Tuesday. “That’s why I did the post, as a way of warning the people, whoever expects the Minions at the Olympics, ‘I’m sorry but don’t, unfortunately it’s not gonna happen.’ I can’t expose myself to getting sued.”

He was stunned by the outpouring of support on social media as he tried to persuade the likes of Universal Studios and musician and producer Pharrell Williams to grant him the rights to skate to a medley of music related to the Minions, who have since appeared in several “Despicable Me” sequels and their own spinoffs. The final approval came through Friday.

“I didn’t realize the reach my skating had even outside of the figure skating world, and it helped me realize how far I’ve come, how far my skating has brought me,” he said.

Just how far will only sink in after the Olympics.

“I haven’t had really the time to take everything in and just appreciate everything,” he said.

Sabate finished 25th in the short program, falling one spot short of qualifying for Friday’s free skate.

He’s far from the only skater caught up in music-related drama at the Milan Cortina Olympics.

Petr Gumennik of Russia, competing as a neutral athlete, had to change the music for his short program over a last-minute rights issue. He dropped music from “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer,” a psychological thriller, replacing it with a track from a Russian romantic epic. Even U.S. champion Amber Glenn had a copyright tangle with a Canadian artist.

What’s next for Sabate? He’s been answering a lot of fan messages. More are likely on the way.

“I want to be the kind of person that replies to their fans,” he said. “They take the time to write to you and I want to take the time to answer.”

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics