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Cornelius has resigned from his role as composer for the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Summer Olympics, reports the Associated Press. The resignation comes after talks from the 1990s resurfaced where Cornelius discussed his history of bullying as a student, as The Guardian Remarks.
In a statement, translated by Arama Japan, Cornelius, whose real name is Keigo Oyamada, admitted to harassing “people with disabilities” and expressed his wish to apologize directly to a specific person “who was injured”.
According to The AP, Cornelius also wrote, “I sincerely accept the opinions and advice I have received, express my gratitude and will keep them in mind for my future actions and thoughts.” He added: “I apologize from the bottom of my heart.”
Olympic officials said they were unaware of Cornelius’ past remarks and, prior to the musician’s resignation, said he would continue to be part of the opening ceremony creative team. “He is sorry for his past actions and he said he wanted to act with higher moral standards,” said Toshiro Muto, general manager of the Games, according to The Guardian. “It is true that the organizing committee was not aware of what Oyamada had done, but we have heard his apologies and hope that he will continue to contribute to the Tokyo Games.”
The Tokyo Summer Olympics have faced multiple scandals in recent months over comments made by officials. Former Olympic Games organizing committee chairman Yoshiro Mori resigned in February after making sexist comments about female sports administrators. The creative director of the opening and closing ceremonies, Hiroshi Sasaki, also resigned in March, after comparing Naomi Watanabe to a pig.
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