The Minions made it to the 2026 Winter Olympics after a music rights dispute almost forced Spanish figure skater Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate to change his plans.
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.”
Although the 26-year-old placed 25th out of 29 skaters, falling one spot short of qualifying for Friday’s free skate, the Spaniard says he’s grateful for the support. In dozens of Instagram stories, Sabate shared messages he received from from across the world, including from former U.S. Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon who posted a photo of himself wearing Minion socks.
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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.
The rights to the Minions character belongs to Universal Studios, which is part of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. NBC, which is broadcasting the Olympics, is also part of NBCUniversal.
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“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.
The International Skating Union began allowing music with vocals in 2014. More skaters have been choosing more modern songs for their routines since the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, but it has also led to other skaters facing similar problems.
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.”
Olympic events are set to continue through the closing ceremony on Feb. 22, and the Paralympics will take place the following month, from March 6 to March 15.
