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Olympic composer steps down for bullying disabled classmate

Virus Outbreak Japan Olympics
Posted at 2:37 PM, Jul 19, 2021
and last updated 2021-07-19 16:39:23-04

A Japanese composer working on the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics resigned Monday amid backlash he bullied a classmate with disabilities when he was a child.

Keigo Oyamada, who is also known as Cornelius, took to social media to apologize and to announce his resignation.

"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," Oyamada said in a post on social media. "I apologize from the bottom of my heart."

News of Oyamada's resignation comes after he came under fire for comments he made about a child with disabilities in a Japanese magazine in the 1990s resurfaced, the Associated Press reported.

Organizers previously said the composer could stay on after he showed remorse, but they reversed course, calling his actions "absolutely unacceptable," and then accepted his resignation.