During the promotion of the Challenger Cup of "Honor of Kings", Miggie, a substitute player of the Philippine BOOM team, made an "eye corner" gesture in the official makeup photo, which attracted public attention. This action is often regarded as a discriminatory expression in Asian culture, and the relevant images quickly caused controversy after the release of the relevant images.
After the incident broke out, Miggie issued an apology statement through overseas social platforms, stating that the action was an impromptu move to express feelings of defeat and had no subjective intention to offend others. At the same time, she sincerely apologized to all viewers who felt uncomfortable as a result. The BOOM team also responded simultaneously, saying that it respects Chinese culture and competition norms, and expresses its importance to this incident.
Subsequently, the KPL Tournament Organizing Committee issued a public statement on April 22, 2026, admitting that there was an issue of insufficient cultural sensitivity control during the review of promotional materials, and the relevant controversial pictures were removed from the shelves and replaced as soon as possible. The organizing committee stated that it will further strengthen the review mechanism to avoid similar situations from happening again.
