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- A Black drummer says he was excluded from the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony because of his skin color.
- Drummer Latyr Sym accused organizers of racism and claimed they did not want a Black face in the show.
- Sym's claim comes just days after the ceremony's director was fired for antisemitic comments.
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A Black drummer said he was excluded from the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony because of his skin color.
The Independent reports that Latyr Sym from Senegal was told he would not be performing in Friday's ceremony as organizers were concerned it would force them to represent a wide spectrum of ethnicities.
The percussionist, who has lived and performed in Japan for more than 20 years, says he was booked for the ceremony in December and had been sent confidential information about the show.
It was not until May that he learned he would not be taking part when a PR company informed him that organizers had rejected plans for him to be included.
Speaking to The Independent, Sy, who has lived in Japan for two decades, said it was "totally racist."
"I was told they said 'Why this guy? Why this African guy?' I've seen a lot of stuff, I've felt a lot of things, but this just doesn't fit with the Olympics. Why should I be silent?"
Sy would later see in the televised rehearsal that his part had not been dropped, but that he and another Senegalese musician had been replaced.
"When I saw it I just felt sad. I'm from a small island, a slave island called Goree. I lived in this country for more than 20 years and this scandalous Olympics. It hurts. I'm afraid to talk but I'm just ready to let it out. I want to share my story. I'm not trying to blame anybody, we just have to let the people know this happened.
"It's not about the money, it's just I feel sad and I feel disappointed about this. This is unfair. I did everything for this country. I arrived in 1994, I performed with Japanese artists everywhere, I participate in so many things. I went all over the world. And this is what I get."
The opening ceremony, as with the entire games, has been mired in controversy.
Composer Keigo Oyamada stepped down after an old interview of him confessing to bullying disabled schoolmates came to light and the ceremony's director was fired for antisemitic jokes he made during the 1990s.