Russian skater Petr Gumennik becomes latest Olympian to change music due to copyright issues

Russian figure skater Petr Gumennik was forced to change the musical accompaniment for his short program on February 10, 2026, just forty-eight hours before the start of the men's singles competition at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics due to unresolved copyright licensing issues. The sudden shift came after international music rights holders reportedly withheld permission for the use of his original track, leaving the athlete and the Russian Olympic coaching staff in a frantic race against time to select and choreograph a compliant alternative. This last-minute adjustment poses a significant challenge to Gumennik’s preparation for one of the most prestigious events in the winter sports calendar. Developing a program for Olympic-level competition typically takes months of rigorous training, as every jump, spin, and choreographed movement is timed precisely to specific musical cues. By being forced to abandon his established routine so close to the event, Gumennik faces not only the technical hurdle of re-synchronizing his elements but also the psychological pressure of performing a largely unfamiliar program on the world’s biggest stage. The situation highlights the increasing complexities of intellectual property rights in international sports broadcasting, where music must be cleared for global distribution. This incident is not an isolated one, as several other Olympians have encountered similar copyright roadblocks during recent Games. International sports federations and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have implemented stricter protocols regarding digital rights management to avoid legal disputes with record labels and artists. For Russian athletes competing under neutral status or specific Olympic designations, navigating these administrative requirements from abroad has become increasingly difficult, often leading to eleventh-hour substitutions that can jeopardize an athlete's podium potential.