The first major play of 2026 Winter Olympics it’s just before the opening ceremony, and the Friends are at the scene of the crime.
Spanish athlete Tomàs-Llorenç Guarino Sabate said on Tuesday that he received last-minute permission from Universal to use music from Friends in his short program after copyright concerns. short term reduction his Olympic program. As the situation continues, and he does not have all the refined music, it is enough to say officially: Friends are going to the Olympics.
Why was Tomàs-Llorenç Guarino Sabaté’s Friends music banned at first?
A few days earlier, Sabate, 26, revealed on Instagram that he was no longer allowed to skate to the music in his Minions short at the theater. Milan-Cortina games. The schedule combines many songs and voices from a group of friends: It starts with the Universal theme sung by friends, includes “Freedom” by Pharrell Williams from Despicable Me 3and ends with the bass-heavy “Papai (Vaya Papayas),” which features the Demons singing about bananas and papayas in the Minion language.
Sabate implemented the program throughout the season, and had submitted it for approval through the International Skating Union’s ClicknClear system in August.
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Despite this, the athlete said he was made aware of the issue at the end of last week, leaving him scrambling to think about adjusting his routine tonight for the first time in the Olympics.
“Finding this last Friday, so close to the biggest competition of my life, was heartbreaking,” Sabate wrote. “However, I will face this challenge head on and do my best to do well in this situation.”
How Friends Will music be approved for the Olympics?
The decision was overturned after people protested online, questioning how the music could be banned near the Games and calling for the right to intervene. (People need their friends — and, frankly, how dare rules and regulations get in the way of stupidity?) On Tuesday, Sabate confirmed via his Instagram Story that Universal had given him permission to use the song for what he described as “this special event.”
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“A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who reposted, shared and supported,” Sabate wrote. “Because of you, Universal Studios reconsidered and officially released the rights.”
Ski analyst Jackie Wong, reporting from the Milan-Cortina Games, noted that while only two of the four music sections of the Sabate program have been cleared so far, the most difficult hurdle has been cleared. “The Universal one at first was more difficult,” he wrote in X, “and that’s what they got special approval for.”
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As for Sabate, he is relieved that the main part of the procedure has been preserved. “I’m so glad to see that Olympic ice skating friends are becoming real again!!” he wrote on IG. “I’ll keep you posted.”
How did fans influence Universal’s decision to license the musical?
Simply put, the network did what it does best and bullied Universal into not agreeing. Ski fans and fun-loving fans flooded social media with posts and requests for Sabate to get his Friends music back.
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What song does Sabate skate to?
There are many, actually. It starts with the Universal theme song sung by Friends, which should be a familiar sound to anyone who has ever seen the Minions movie. The program also includes Pharrell Williams’ “Freedom” from Despicable Me 3 and ends with “Papaya (Vaya Papayas)” from Juan Alcaraz and The Minions – who share artist, writing, arrangement, production and engineering credits on the song, according to EW.
Why did Sabate choose friends’ music for his Olympic program?
Sabate has been skating to songs from the animated Minions all season, performing his mini-series in a yellow and blue costume inspired by the characters. He previously said the routine was designed to bring fun and style to the ice while still meeting every technical requirement.
“This season I competed with my short program Minions to bring fun and style to ice skating,” Sabaté wrote earlier this week on Instagram, adding that the program was meant to show “that skating as a male Olympic athlete can be fun.”
When will Sabate participate in the 2026 Winter Olympics?
As the Milan-Cortina Winter Games open on Friday, February 6, the six-time Spanish men’s champion is set to make his 2026 Winter Olympic debut with Friends during the men’s short program competition on February 10.
