Recommended
The Liga Nacional de Guatemala page issued a public apology to Mexican taekwondo athlete Seo Hyun Cecilia Lee Kim, after publishing a message described as xenophobic and racist for questioning her nationality after she won the silver medal in Poomsae Taekwondo during the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games.
The post sparked a wave of criticism from internet users, who defended the Mexican athlete. The controversy even prompted the intervention of the Mexican Olympic Committee (COM).
We tell you how the controversy started, what Cecilia Lee responded, what the position of the Mexican Olympic Committee was, and what the Guatemalan page said after the criticism.
¿Qué publicó la Liga Nacional de Guatemala sobre Cecilia Lee?
The controversy began after Guatemalan Alejandra Higueros won the gold medal in Poomsae taekwondo at the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games.
After the result, the Liga Nacional de Guatemala page published a message on Instagram in which it insinuated that Mexico had brought a South Korean athlete to compete, arguing that Asian athletes usually dominate this discipline and that, even so, they could not beat the Guatemalan representative.
The post, which has now been deleted, said:
"MEXICO BROUGHT A KOREAN BUT COULDN'T BEAT OUR CHAMPION! Mexico brought the South Korean Lee Kim to participate in the Central American and Caribbean Games in the discipline of women's taekwondo, a discipline where Asians are a powerhouse, but even then they couldn't defeat our champion Alejandra Higueros, the current number one in the world ranking. The Guatemalan took the gold and the 'Mexican' the silver."
On social media, some Guatemalan users pointed out that it is a fan page and not an official profile. However, the account has more than 25,000 followers and is dedicated to disseminating sports information related to Guatemala.
"Soy mexicana": Cecilia Lee responde a la publicación
The Mexican taekwondo athlete did not take long to respond and made it clear that she was born in Mexico and has represented the country with pride in international competitions.
Furthermore, she lamented that a person's identity is questioned due to their physical traits or ancestry.
"I feel great sorrow and shame for this type of publication, especially because it is the page of a national sports league. I am Mexican. I was born in Mexico and have had the honor of representing my country internationally with pride and discipline.
Reducing the identity of a person and a country to their physical traits, surname, or ancestry reflects misinformation and perpetuates stereotypes that should have no place, much less on a sports page with this level of visibility.
Nationality is not determined by appearance; it is determined by the history, culture, and identity of the country to which we belong and represent."
Despite the controversy, Cecilia Lee congratulated Alejandra Higueros for her victory.
"Despite these acts, I congratulate Alejandra for her well-deserved triumph; she is a great athlete and we gave a great competition."
Comité Olímpico Mexicano condena la publicación
The Mexican Olympic Committee also reacted to the controversy and condemned any discriminatory expression against the athlete.
In a statement shared via X, the COM noted that such discriminatory comments have no place in sports and urged for responsible reporting.
"The Mexican Olympic Committee categorically rejects any discriminatory expression directed at our athletes. The post from the @liganacional_gt page reduces the identity of an athlete to her appearance and ancestry, perpetuating stereotypes that have no place in the sporting sphere or any other space...
Sport should be a space for respect, unity, and healthy competition. We condemn any act that violates the dignity of our athletes and we call for responsible reporting, especially from platforms with this level of visibility."
La Liga Nacional de Guatemala ofrece disculpas
Following the responses from Cecilia Lee and the Mexican Olympic Committee, the page published a new statement on Instagram in which it offered a "public and sincere apology" to the Mexican athlete.
Likewise, it asserted that its original publication did not have the intention of discriminating or issuing a racist message and stated that the content was interpreted out of context.
"We want to offer a public and sincere apology to the talented Mexican athlete @leececy... At no time did our publication have racist or discriminatory purposes, as it was unfortunately interpreted in various sectors of the Mexican population.
We believe that many people and media outlets took the message out of its real context.
Original intention: The purpose of our publication was to express an act of admiration toward South Korean people for their status as a world power in the discipline of taekwondo."
Así reaccionaron las redes sociales
The apologies did not convince many Instagram users, who considered that the statement attempted to justify the original publication instead of assuming the error.
Among the most notable comments are:
- "Ni con la IA pudieron disculparse medianamente bien".
- "Decir 'México llevó una coreana' y poner 'mexicana' entre comillas sí envía el mensaje de que no la consideran realmente mexicana por su apariencia. Nadie sacó nada de contexto".
- "¿Y la disculpa viene aparte de los pretextos?"
- "Era mejor solo disculparse por el comentario, aceptar el error y punto. Nadie lo sacó de contexto, se entiende tal cual lo escribieron".
- "Su 'disculpa' es una burla".
- "Esto no es una disculpa, es una justificación".
[Publicidad]