The Thailand Esports Federation (TESF) confirmed Tokyogurl’s disqualification on Tuesday, following an investigation into the women’s RoV match against Vietnam on Monday.
Tokyogurl was found to have violated the Esports Technical Manual by using unauthorized third-party software and manipulating competition equipment.
On Wednesday, relevant governing bodies announced a disciplinary response. Game publisher Garena banned Tokyogurl from all RoV tournaments, effective Dec. 16, 2025. Her professional team, TALON, confirmed the immediate termination of her contract.
For the RoV Esports organizing committee, they applied the highest discipline level by issuing a lifetime ban to Tokyogurl, closing one of the biggest scandals in Thai esports history.
Warasin “Tokyogurl” Naraphat represents the Thailand Arena of Valor women’s team at the 33rd SEA Games. Photo by TESF |
“From a once-promising female player, Tokyogurl faces the heaviest penalty of her career,” Thai outlet Daily News wrote. “This incident serves as a wake-up call regarding professional ethics, transparency and fair play on the international stage.”
The Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) stated that it will support TESF in considering legal action against Tokyogurl if sufficient elements of a violation outside the scope of sports are found.
SAT director general Kongsak Yodmanee stated that he had spoken directly with Santih Lotthong, president of TESF. The first step would be finalizing the report to the SEA Games Council and the Asian eSports Federation for disciplinary action as a part of the procedures.
Kongsak said from a legal perspective, the authorities need to thoroughly investigate to determine whether Tokyogurl’s actions violated the law. The Sports Authority of Thailand has instructed TESF to continue monitoring and reporting in detail. At the same time, the agency has requested stricter regulations, increased penalties and enhanced preventative measures to avoid similar incidents in the future, Khaosod reported.
The head of the Thai sports sector emphasized that cheating is unacceptable in any sport. He also praised the Thai refereeing team for honestly detecting and reporting violations, even when it involves the home team’s athletes.
“Thailand has always affirmed the principles of fairness and transparency when hosting the SEA Games,” Kongsak said. “This incident shows that we do not cover up, are not biased and are ready to handle it strictly to ensure the common standards of the SEA Games, creating trust in the Southeast Asian sports community.”
TESF president Lotthong revealed that officials detected something was wrong almost immediately, from the moment she entered the competition room before the match and arbitrarily manipulated settings on the device. According to Lotthong, esports leaves clear technical traces, so the referees discovered two accounts logged into the same application and retained all images and login data as evidence.
Lotthong confirmed that the international refereeing team cleared Tokyogurl’s teammates of any wrongdoing. However, to uphold national honor and demonstrate collective responsibility, the remaining members of the Thailand women’s RoV team unanimously decided to withdraw from the SEA Games.
Regarding Tokyogurl’s post-match hospitalization on Monday, which she had claimed was due to a panic attack, Lotthong clarified that the doctor’s conclusion ruled out mental damage, diagnosing a stomach issue instead.
Regarding the suspicion of someone else playing on behalf of Tokyogurl during the competition, Lotthong affirmed that TESF has collected sufficient technical evidence and is continuing to trace the login history. The TESF president affirmed that Tokyogurl has been permanently banned from the national team and warned that any individual or club found to have aided the cheating would face similar consequences.
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