At the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Georgian figure skaters Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava performed a themed routine inspired by the Mortal Kombat video game series during the non-competitive Exhibition Gala. Dressed as characters Kitana and Sub-Zero, the pair skated to the game's iconic theme music, incorporating punches and signature moves. The performance highlighted a blend of pop culture and Olympic entertainment.
The 2026 Winter Olympics, held in Milan, Italy, concluded its figure skating events with the Exhibition Gala on February 22, a segment focused on crowd-pleasing displays rather than judged competition. Georgian skaters Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava opened their routine in Mortal Kombat-themed costumes: Metelkina as Kitana and Berulava as Sub-Zero. They skated to the theme "Techno Syndrome" by The Immortals, featuring faux punches, signature moves, and the dazed stance typical of the game's fighters.
A tweet from The Freelancer captured the excitement: "Awesome performance! Mortal Kombat makes a special appearance at the winter Olympics! @MortalKombat @noobde." One fighting game fan commented, "The only thing kooler they could have done is a flying spinning kick FATALITY at the end..."
The Gala included other pop culture nods. Kazakhstan's Mikhail Shaidorov, who won gold in men's figure skating—the first for his country—performed as the Kung Fu Panda character, skating to Carl Douglas's "Kung Fu Fighting." He engaged in playful sparring with figures dressed as Deadpool and Sub-Zero, ending with a fart sound effect. Additional routines featured pairs skating to "Cotton Eyed Joe" and "Macarena," while Spain's Tomàs-Llorenç appeared as a Minion.
Earlier in the week, competitive performances faced challenges with music licensing, affecting skaters like American gold medalist Amber Glenn. Czech pair Katerina Mrazkova and Daniel Mrazek used an AI-generated song with apparent AC/DC samples, raising questions about intellectual property at the Games.
In related news, the Mortal Kombat 2 film, starring Karl Urban as Johnny Cage and written by Jeremy Slater, advances to a May 8 release, shifted from an original October 2025 date.
