Germany's Nicole Schott
Nicole Schott of Germany competes Women Single Skating free skating competition final in Gangneung Ice Arena. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

A German figure skater has been slammed for her "tone-deaf" performance using the music from the film Schindler's List.

Nicole Schott danced to the score during her long program on Thursday night (22 February) at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, sparking an angry response from social media users who accused the German athlete of being insensitive.

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According to some, using the deeply symbolic soundtrack in routines shows a lack of respect to Holocaust victims while others said the somber soundtrack was not suitable for the ice rink.

USA Today columnist Nancy Armour wrote: "No one should be skating to Schindler's List."

Twitter user David Struve added: "The German figure skater is skating to music from Schindler's List. ABORT ABORT ABORT! I repeat, do NOT skate to that! What are you doing Germany!"

The 22-year-old failed to impress judges with her routine and failed to place in the event. The gold medal eventually went to Russian Alina Zagitova under the OAR team flag.

Schindler's List portrayed Nazi Germany's terrible persecution of Jews during the Holocaust and resonated deeply with both Jewish and non-Jewish audiences.

Directed by Steven Spielbeg and featuring Liam Neeson as Oskar Schindler, the 1993 film won multiple awards at the Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Original Score.

The haunting music was scored by legendary Hollywood composer John Williams.

The music has been used in previous Olympic events, including Russia's Yulia Lipnitskaya who won a gold medal in the 2014 Sochi Winter Games. It was also used by two-time gold medalist Katarina Witt just months after its initial release.

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