Olympic Figure Skaters Face Copyright Issues at 2026 Games
Amber Glenn didn't know if she "could have felt worse out there" during her free skate at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics. Not because she skated badly. Because of copyright drama.
For years, figure skaters avoided copyright issues because songs with lyrics were forbidden and most classical music falls under public domain. That changed in 2014 when the International Skating Union started allowing music with lyrics.
This meant more creativity for athletes. But also, more headaches.
Skaters are responsible for clearing their music which is already complex. It gets worse at the Olympics because of costly international broadcast and streaming agreements.
The Minions Guy
Thomás-Llorenç Guarino Sabaté was open about the stress he faced getting his "Minions" music cleared for his short program. He'd been performing with it all year. He still struggled to get copyright approval for the Olympics.
After a long, demanding, public process, the music finally got approved.
Amber Glenn's Problem
Artist Seb McKinnon produces music under the name CLANN. He took to social media objecting to Glenn using his song "The Return" in her free skate.
"So just found out an Olympic figure skater used one of my songs without permission for their routine. It aired all over the world... what? Is that usual practice for the Olympics?" McKinnon posted to X.
The post blew up. About 12 hours later, McKinnon clarified what happened.
"Thank you Community Notes! This is news to me. The deal I have with my label is that I alone can give the ok to license my music. I thought since this was on TV, that it fell under some kind of synching. But it seems to be the same thing as radio? Glad to understand it more."
Then he congratulated Glenn and Team USA on their gold medal in the team event.
Glenn said the copyright issue got ironed out. "Seems like there was a hiccup in that whole process. I'm glad we cleared things up with Seb and I look forward to collaborating with him."
Glenn's been performing to "The Return" for two years. She said it meant a lot to have the artist congratulate her. "It's my sincere hope that I was able to help create new fans of both figure skating and Seb. We will move forward and continue supporting both artists and the skating community."
The Russian Skater Who Had to Switch Music
Russian figure skater Petr Gumennik got forced to change his short program music two days before competition. He's competing as a neutral athlete. He planned to use music from the film "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer," which he'd been working with all season. Then, he found out he didn't have proper permission and had to switch last minute to a lyricless classical piece, "Waltz 1805" by Edgar Hakobyan.
This Started in 2022
The copyright issue in figure skating gained widespread attention at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. An indie artist who covered "The House of the Rising Sun" objected to American pair Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier using it.
The artist filed a lawsuit. Then the ISU stepped in and tried developing methods and tools to help skaters avoid future copyright claims.
Skaters rely on third-party licensing companies like ClicknClear to get necessary rights for performances. However, the process is far from perfect and still leads to a lot of hurdles.
What Glenn Thinks About It
"It's never been an issue and then suddenly it is, and I don't understand why," Glenn told the AP before the Winter Games. "I understand there was a big upset at the last Olympics because some artist — I'm sorry, they decided to be (jerks). Like, they couldn't just appreciate this Olympic team competing? It wasn't even their song to begin with; it was a cover."
Glenn said copyright issues add stress and can be upsetting. "It's not like we're a TV show and playing music in the background for an emotional scene. It just feels like a cash grab for different companies, and it's really upsetting that they can't just appreciate that their music has inspired something creative."
The Bigger Picture
Figure skaters' choreography, style, and the message of their performance are often inspired by the music they choose. When athletes get forced to change their song at the Olympics, it requires changing their routine before hitting the world's largest stage.
The ISU allowed lyrics in 2014 to give skaters more creative freedom. Now skaters are dealing with copyright lawsuits, last-minute music changes, and artists objecting to their performances on social media. Not really the type of overwhelm you would want to add to your plate as an Olympic skater.
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