Two things you never imagined existing in the same sentence came together this week in a truly heartwarming way. Those things are “Olympic figure skating” and “the Minions.”
Tomás‑Llorenç Guarino Sabaté, a six-time Spanish national figure skating champion, is set to make his Olympic debut later this month at the games in Milan, Italy. The short routine he had planned to use featured him in an outfit resembling everyone’s favorite banana-loving creatures, the Minions, as well as music from the franchise.
In the months leading up to the games, Guarino Sabaté had submitted the music through the proper channels and performed the routine multiple times. Everything was set… or so he thought. Mere days before the Olympics were set to start, Universal told him he couldn’t use the music due to copyright issues.
“Finding this out last Friday, so close to the most important competition of my life, was incredibly disappointing,” he wrote online. “To my fans, I wish I had better news, but I am profoundly grateful for your support this season.”
The news would have forced Guarino Sabaté to basically make a whole new routine days before the competition. But fans were not having it. And, as one might expect, the news drew new fans too. Angry fans. Multiple global news outlets picked up the story, and, according to Guarino Sabaté, that support made the company change its mind.
“Huge thank you to everyone who reposted, shared and supported. Because of you Universal Studios reconsidered and officially granted the rights for this one special occasion,” Sabaté posted on Instagram Stories. The post says there are a few other issues, but he believes they’ll be taken care of soon.
🇪🇸 Tomàs-Llorenç Guarino Sabaté says that due to the support he’s received Universal Studios have reconsidered and granted the rights for his Minions program, there are still a couple of things to be tied up but he is very close to clearing it. pic.twitter.com/FkgNCQGl8t
— Anything GOEs (@AnythingGOE) February 3, 2026
Though Guarino Sabaté is not expected to win the competition, you can be very sure that many, many more people are going to tune into his performance now. As well they should. Look at this absolutely delightful routine.
Here is a small part of what they’re stealing from us. He was approved to skate to this music all season and only a few days before the Olympics do they tell him the music is no longer cleared to use.😡 pic.twitter.com/QGnzRTJArG
— Reenie ( ((( 💖 ))) ) (@ReenieOnIce) February 3, 2026
According to USA Today, the performance will take place on Tuesday, February 10.
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