Spanish figure skater can use Minions music at the Olympics

Who’s ready for a happy Minion dance?

Spanish figure skater Tomàs-Llorenç Guarino Sabaté said Tuesday he could finally bring his Minions-themed routine to the Olympics. He shared on Instagram that Universal was allowing him to use music from its popular animated franchise for this “special occasion” and said he was working to overcome remaining obstacles.

“There are still a few things to link with the other 2 pieces of music in the program but we are so close to achieving it!” Guarino Sabaté wrote in his update to thank his supporters. “I’m so happy to see that henchmen hitting Olympic ice are becoming real again!! I’ll keep you posted!”

Six-time Spanish champion Guarino Sabaté said Monday that he was informed Friday – exactly a week before the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Games – that the medley of “Minions” music to which he had skated, while dressed in a blue jumpsuit and yellow shirt, throughout the season could not be used at the Olympics due to copyright issues. That meant Guarino Sabaté, who was set to make her Olympic debut with her Minions-themed short program on Feb. 10, would have to change her plans at the last minute. How do bananas.

The cheerful yellow creatures are a signature of Universal and Illumination’s “Despicable Me” film franchise. NBCUniversal owns U.S. media rights to the Olympics.

“Learning about this… so close to the most important competition of my life was incredibly disappointing,” Guarino Sabaté wrote in his post sharing the initial news. “This season I competed with my Minions short program to bring joy and playful style to the ice while meeting all the elements required to show that skating as a men’s Olympic figure skater can be fun. … Nonetheless, I will meet this challenge head on and do my best to get the most out of it.”

The Olympian said then that he followed proper procedures and submitted his music through the rights clearance system recommended by the International Skating Union in August. The situation has drawn attention to the complexity of music licensing and how it affects artistic sports like figure skating. Contemporary music is not in the public domain and skateboarders are responsible for cleaning up their own music.

For now, fans will just have to hold out hope that Guarino Sabaté’s dream of wreaking joyous Minions chaos on the Olympic ice will ultimately come true.