MILAN, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Spanish figure skater Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate's joy at bringing his Minions-themed short programme to the Olympic ice in Milan following a last‑minute dispute over the music rights ended in disappointment on Tuesday when he narrowly failed to make the cut for the men's free skate.
Dressed as one of the Minions film franchise's animated characters in yellow T-shirt and blue overalls, the six-times Spanish champion scored 69.80 points in the men's short programme at the Milano Cortina Olympics, stumbling on his triple Axel but still having fans clapping along to the routine which has been a crowd-pleaser all season.
Despite the crowd support, Guarino Sabate finished 25th, one place below the qualifying cut-off for Friday's free programme.
Tuesday's moment in the Olympic spotlight almost did not happen though.The 22-year-old skater had assumed that the music he had competed to all season had been cleared for the Olympics, only to be told last week he would not be able to use it over a copyright dispute.
But Universal Studios and Pharrell Williams, who composed part of the music, reversed their decision after a wave of global support on social media and Guarino Sabate finally received full clearance on Friday.
The Spaniard was not alone in Milan's music drama. U.S. champion Amber Glenn also hit a copyright snag when Canadian artist Seb McKinnon raised concerns that she was using his music without his permission.
The International Skating Union said copyright clearances could represent a challenge for all artistic sports.
"While the ISU does not have a contractual relationship with (music licensing company) ClicknClear, we continue to work collaboratively with rights clearance stakeholders to ensure that thrilling performances can be accompanied by stirring music," the ISU said in a statement last week.
Before 2014, only ice dancers were permitted to skate to music that included lyrics. The ISU changed the rules to include all disciplines in an effort to modernise the sport. Sochi 2014 was the first Olympics to feature music with lyrics across four disciplines - men's and women's singles, pairs and ice dance.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing; editing by Clare Fallon)
