Russians caused a scandal over music at the Olympics: details of the incident
8 February 03:19
At the 2026 Olympics, figure skater Petr Gumennyk was banned from performing to music from the film “Perfume” – the rights holders revoked the license specifically for the Russian skater. This jeopardized his short program.
The scandal erupted a few days before the start of the figure skating competition at the 2026 Olympics. According to Russian media reports, the “neutral” Petr Gumennyk was not allowed to use the musical composition, reports "Komersant Ukrainian".
Why did the music scandal arise?
The music rights holders revoked the license specifically for Gumennyk, forcing the team to find an alternative less than 72 hours before the performance.
The athlete’s mother said that this decision appears biased and unfair to the Russian athlete, since the program was deemed legal for other skaters.
Possible alternatives and criticism
Due to problems with Perfume, Gumennyk may have to perform to last year’s program “Dune,” which he already performed last season. This option is far from ideal—the elements, staging, and costume are tied to the music, and it is practically impossible to change everything quickly.
Fans and experts note that similar music from Perfume is used by other skaters in competitions, but only Gumennyk was not given permission, which raised questions about different interpretations of copyright and possible discrimination against Russian athletes.
The situation has caused a storm of criticism among Russian social media users. The decision was called biased and discriminatory. In particular, comments referred to “fascism on the part of international structures.”
