BANGKOK, THAILAND – Thailand’s women’s national Arena of Valor team withdrew from the Southeast Asian Games after a player was disqualified for alleged cheating, causing a major embarrassment for the host nation.
Player disqualified during final against Vietnam
Esports player Naphat “Tokyogurl” Warasin was found to have violated the rules on 15 December during the final match against Vietnam, according to tournament officials. Technical delegate Joebert Lopez Yu said there was “conclusive evidence” of a rules breach. She was accused of using unauthorized third-party software or modified hardware, in violation of Article 9.4.3 of the esports handbook, and Yu stated the decision was final.
Thailand cancels next match and exits tournament
Following the ruling, Thailand cancelled its scheduled match against Laos the next day and pulled the entire women’s Arena of Valor team from the competition. The withdrawal left months of preparation without a sporting outcome and marked a rare, self-imposed exit by a host nation. Officials framed the move as a response to the gravity of the confirmed rule violation.
Coach admits earlier concerns, player denies cheating
In a public apology, coach Pom acknowledged there had been internal concerns about suspicious behaviour before the tournament but said the staff had ultimately trusted the player’s earlier explanation to avoid conflict within the team. Warasin, known by her handle “Tokyogurl”, rejected the allegations in social media posts, insisting she had suffered a panic attack during the match and was taken to hospital. She argued that connecting a cable to her phone could not have been used for cheating.
Teammates devastated by lost medal chance
The remaining five players said in interviews they were stunned and deeply distraught by the disqualification and withdrawal. After months of hard training, they felt their chance at a medal had been taken away by circumstances they claimed they had not known about. Their reaction highlighted the collective cost of sanctions based on the conduct of a single teammate.
Federation cites fair play over home advantage
President of the Thailand Esports Federation, Santi Lohtong, defended the drastic decision to pull the team.
“Respect for the rules, fair play and sporting spirit.”
said Santi Lohtong, president of the Thailand Esports Federation. He said that as the host country, Thailand could not continue to compete under the prevailing conditions and presented the withdrawal as a choice to put the sport above short-term success.
Integrity of esports under spotlight
The scandal raised questions over the integrity of esports, which featured as an official discipline at the SEA Games. For Thailand as host, the reputational damage was significant, even though the precise nature of the cheating had not yet been publicly detailed. Organizers and officials stressed that cheating would not be tolerated in digital competition, even at the cost of home-ground advantage and the dreams of an entire team.
Debate over fairness and collective punishment
The case fuelled debate over whether the withdrawal was the only way to protect the integrity of the Games. Supporters of the decision pointed to the importance of setting a clear precedent on rule enforcement. Critics questioned whether Thailand should instead have fought harder to defend the innocence of the other players, asking whether the response amounted to principled consistency or unfair collective punishment.