The Thai Esports Federation (TESF) confirmed on 16/12 that Naphat Warasin, known as Tokyogurl, was disqualified from SEA Games 33 in Thailand. The female athlete committed a serious technical rule violation during competition.

Tokyogurl, a marksman for the Thai Lien Quan Mobile team, violated Article 9.4.3 of the Esports Technical Handbook. She used unauthorized third-party software or tampered with competition equipment during a match on 15/12.

A day earlier, social media buzzed with allegations that Tokyogurl had installed illegal software on her competition device after Thailand's 0-3 loss to Vietnam. The technical department promptly investigated these suspicions and reported them to the organizing committee. Following verification, Thailand's Head of Esports Technical Department imposed the highest penalty: Warasin's disqualification from SEA Games 33.

Athlete Warasin Naraphat from the Thai esports team. Photo: Thaiger

Many of Warasin's teammates publicly expressed their disappointment on social media. Previously, Thai audiences speculated that Tokyogurl might have used a proxy player through support software during the online selection period for the Thai Lien Quan Mobile team. However, TESF stated that cheating during live SEA Games competition is unacceptable.

Due to the serious cheating scandal, the Thai Esports Federation decided to withdraw the women's Lien Quan team from SEA Games 2025, despite the team currently competing in the loser's bracket final (leading Laos 1-0) on 16/12.

Beyond technical issues, Tokyogurl had previously faced controversy for her conduct on live television. She showed a middle finger to the camera during an event broadcast live across Southeast Asia.

In a statement, TESF announced its full acceptance and compliance with the SEA Games Organizing Committee's final disciplinary decision. "Fair play is the ultimate value," the TESF statement read. "We will conduct an internal investigation and further tighten ethical and technical standards for athletes to prevent similar incidents from recurring."

Her club, Talon, also released a statement agreeing with the technical delegation head's decision. Consequently, Tokyogurl's status as an esports athlete under Talon was terminated, effective 16/12.

Vy Anh