Figure skaters competing at the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang are drawing inspiration from the likes of Ed Sheeran, Beyoncé and, fittingly, Coldplay and Snow Patrol.
It’s the first time the International Skating Union has allowed music with lyrics.
Fans are loving it.
Social media lit up after France’s Vanessa James and Moran Ciprès skated to a 2015 cover of “Sound of Silence” by metal band Disturbed.
“Is this real life,” wondered Christine Rousselle on Twitter. Ali Miller tweeted: “Guess the olympics are down with the sickness.”
The year is 2018 and @Disturbed cover of Sound of Silence was just used by the French pair's free skate in the Olympics. What a time to be alive!
— Zane (@IamWizardOfWazz) February 15, 2018
There were similar reactions after Canada’s Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir skated to “El Tango de Roxanne” – a twist on The Police classic “Roxanne” performed by José Feliciano, Ewan McGregor and Jacek Koman on the Moulin Rouge soundtrack.
The pair even got a shout-out on Twitter from the film’s director Baz Luhrmann.
Moulin Rouge on ice! It’s moving to see so many champions skating their way to @pyeongchang2018 to the music from #MoulinRouge, including @TeamCanada's @tessavirtue & @ScottMoir ⛸ #PyeongChang2018 pic.twitter.com/SeM9tsS8ZY
— Baz Luhrmann (@bazluhrmann) February 3, 2018
Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford used a cover of U2’s “With or Without You” by April Meservy. French skater Maé-Bérénice Méité used Beyoncé’s “Run the World (Girls)” and “Halo.”
Among the songs heard on the ice at the Games are Jeff Buckley’s famous cover of “Hallelujah” by Canada’s Leonard Cohen and a couple of songs recorded by Canadian k.d. lang.