MILAN -- Russian figure skater Petr Gumennik has been forced to change his short program music just two days before the men's competition at the Milan Cortina Olympics due to copyright issues. The 23-year-old Russian national champion had been performing to music from the psychological thriller film 'Perfume: The Story of a Murderer' all season, but learned he lacked proper permission to use it.

Gumennik joins a growing list of skaters dealing with music rights problems at these Games. Spanish skater Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate faced similar issues with his 'Minions' medley program, while Belgian skater Loena Hendrickx switched from Celine Dion's 'Ashes' to 'I Surrender' after copyright concerns. These problems have become increasingly common since the International Skating Union relaxed its rules in 2014 to allow music with lyrics.

The International Skating Union has attempted to develop systems to avoid copyright issues, but they continue to arise with alarming frequency. ISU president Jae Youl Kim called it 'a very, very, very serious problem' that athletes shouldn't have to worry about. Gumennik ultimately selected 'Waltz 1805' by Edgar Hakobyan, for which he obtained proper clearance in time for Tuesday night's short program.

Gumennik qualified for his first Olympics by winning Skate to Milan in late September after being cleared to compete as a neutral athlete. He had been barred from international competition since Russia's invasion of Ukraine but was vetted and approved by the ISU in May.

Quick Fact: Gumennik won Skate to Milan in late September to qualify for his first Olympics.