“We are outraged with the player(s) and a thorough investigation will be carried out to find the person(s) responsible for these acts and apply the appropriate sanctions,” the Mexican Softball Federation said in a statement.

The furore erupted after Mexican boxers Esmeralda Falcon and Brianda Tamara complained on social media that softball players had left uniforms and equipment behind after finishing in fourth place.

“Perhaps for some of the fellow athletes these uniforms do not mean anything, but for many others they represent our years of work, dedication, love and passion,” Falcon wrote on Twitter with photos of the abandoned uniforms.

“What a pity that the Mexican softball team does not see it that way,” she added.

Tamara said that the uniform “represents years of efforts, sacrifices and tears. All Mexican athletes yearn to wear it with dignity, and today sadly the Mexican softball team left everything in the trash of the Olympic village.”

Some social media users suggested that the dual nationality of the US-born players who dominate the team was a possible reason for a lack of national pride.

Earlier Mexican Softball Federation president Rolando Guerrero said the players had left their uniforms because they had too much luggage for the trip home.

“It’s not the same packing 33 bats that we bring as packing a pair of gloves,” he told Mexican television.

“All the equipment we bring is too much: protective gear, double masks, helmets, uniforms for training and games. It’s too heavy and you throw it in the trash,” Guerrero added.

But the federation’s later statement rejected that as a reason to throw away uniforms.

It offered “an apology to all of Mexico” and warned that possible sanctions against players included expulsion from the federation.