Olympic Committee removes Artsakh from music title used by Armenian skating pair after Azeri complaint

A politically charged dispute between the Olympic delegations of Azerbaijan and Armenia over figure skating music has been resolved after skating and IOC authorities reviewed the matter and the official program listing was amended.

The International Skating Union (ISU) said in a statement to the Guardian on Sunday that it had examined the matter with relevant stakeholders. “The situation has been reviewed with all parties involved,” the ISU said. “The official names of the tracks that will be used are listed on the ISU website.”

The change follows a complaint from Azerbaijan’s National Olympic Committee, which said it had raised concerns with the IOC over the Armenian pair of Karina Akopova and Nikita Rakhmanin’s planned short program to Artsakh, a composition by musician Ara Gevorgyan, who was born in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.

Artsakh is the Armenian name for the long disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region and was also used by the self-declared ethnic Armenian administration that controlled it for decades. Azerbaijani officials reject the term, saying it implies territorial claims over land internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but contested over decades of conflict between the two countries.

The committee said in a statement the use of the song would introduce political messaging into Olympic competition and risk violating Olympic Charter principles requiring political neutrality at the Games.

“The Olympic Games are a symbol of peace, friendship and mutual respect between peoples,” the committee said. “It is unacceptable to use this platform for political and separatist propaganda purposes.”

The listing on the ISU website for the pair skating short program now identifies the music as “Music by Ara Gevorgyan”, rather than naming the composition itself, according to the federation’s published music registry for the 2025-26 season.

Music selections in Olympic figure skating are typically submitted and approved through technical and governance processes overseen by the ISU, though disputes involving political symbolism can extend beyond sport governance structures.

Late changes to Olympic programs can carry significant competitive consequences. Last week, Spain’s Tomàs-Llorenç Guarino Sabaté narrowly avoided having to redesign his Olympic short program after resolving a copyright dispute that had threatened his ability to use music from the Minions franchise. Coaches and athletes say changing music late in the Olympic cycle can force skaters to rework choreography refined over months in a sport where musical timing and muscle memory are inseparable.

People familiar with the discussions said the complaint was initially directed to the IOC rather than through sport governance channels and that the issue was subsequently addressed through discussions involving the relevant Olympic authorities.

The IOC did not respond to requests for comment.

Akopova and Rakhmanin are scheduled to compete in the pairs short program on 15 February, with the free skate set for 16 February. The Russian-born partners – who were already dating when they formed their partnership in 2020 – later chose to represent Armenia through Akopova’s family roots, framing their Olympic appearance as both a personal comeback and a milestone moment for the country’s skating program.

The duo only returned to international competition last season after more than two years away because of injury and the waiting period required after switching national representation. They secured Armenia’s first Olympic berth in pair skating since 2002 at the final qualifying event in Beijing, finishing second in a field where only three quota places were available.

Azerbaijan will be represented in Olympic figure skating by a single male skater competing in a separate discipline, meaning athletes from the two countries will not face each other directly in competition.

The episode comes three months after Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a US-brokered peace agreement aimed at normalizing relations after decades of conflict, though disputes tied to Nagorno-Karabakh remain sensitive. The situation also underscores how geopolitical tensions continue to surface around the Olympic movement despite longstanding rules intended to keep political conflicts out of competition.

The melody itself has circulated at the elite level for at least two decades. It was used by Russian singles skater Alexander Abt at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, later appearing in programs by Georgian singles skater Elene Gedevanishvili at the 2006 Turin Games and Armenian ice dancers Vazgen Azrojan and Anastasia Grebenkina during the 2007-08 season. More recently, it featured in the repertoire of Adeliia Petrosian, a Russian skater of Armenian heritage, during the 2021-22 campaign.