Thai esports player disqualified at SEA Games over unauthorised software use

THAILAND: A Thai female esports athlete has been expelled from the Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok after being found to have used unauthorised third-party software during competition, triggering one of the most serious controversies of the Thailand 2025 Games so far.

The Thailand Esports Federation (TESF) confirmed on Tuesday that Naraphat Warasin, 24 — known by her in-game alias “Tokyogurl” — was disqualified from the Arena of Valor (AoV) esports event for breaching technical regulations during a match on Monday.

Investigation Confirms Rule Violation

Naraphat was competing as the marksman for Thailand’s women’s AoV team at the 33rd SEA Games when suspicions surfaced following Thailand’s 3–0 loss to Vietnam.

Online viewers raised concerns that unauthorised software may have been installed on competition equipment.

After the matter was reported, the SEA Games technical department launched an investigation.

Officials later confirmed that Naraphat had violated Rule 9.4.3 of the Esports Technical Handbook, which prohibits the use of unauthorised third-party software or any modification of competition hardware during a match.

She received the highest penalty available under the regulations: immediate disqualification.

Unsportsmanlike Conduct on Livestream

The incident was compounded by footage from the official livestream showing Naraphat making a middle-finger gesture toward the camera, drawing criticism for unsportsmanlike behaviour.

TESF cited both the technical breach and her conduct during the broadcast when confirming the disciplinary action.

In an unprecedented move, TESF announced it would withdraw the entire Thailand women’s Arena of Valor team from the Games, even though the team was leading Laos 1–0 in the losers’ bracket final at the time.

Thailand Withdraws Entire Women’s AoV Team

“Fair play is paramount,” the federation said in an official statement, adding that it accepted the organising committee’s decision and would conduct an internal review to tighten ethical and technical standards.

TESF president Santi Lohthong, who also heads the Asian Esports Federation, apologised on behalf of the team and said the withdrawal was intended to uphold the integrity of esports competition.

Club, Agent and Organiser Impose Bans

Naraphat’s club, Talon, said it supported the ruling and announced the immediate termination of her contract, effective 16 December.

Her agent, TALON TH, also confirmed it had severed ties with the player.

Event organiser Garena RoV Thailand said it would ban Naraphat from all future competitions under its jurisdiction.

Naraphat Denies Cheating Allegations

Amid intense backlash, Naraphat later denied cheating in an online response to a fan, insisting she did not use unauthorised software.

“If I cheated, I would have won the match against Vietnam,” she wrote, arguing that the use of cheating tools would have guaranteed victory rather than a 0–3 defeat.

She also denied using a phone cable or external device connection during play.

Naraphat said she suffered a panic attack during the match, adding that she fainted and was taken to hospital, only regaining access to her phone after recovering.

Addressing the middle-finger incident, she said the gesture was intended as a joke shared with a teammate during a tense moment and was not directed at the audience or broadcast viewers.

Captain’s Account Disputes Defence

Naraphat’s explanation was contradicted by the team’s captain, Jomkhon “Givemeakiss” Phumsinin, who said she noticed suspicious behaviour during the match against Vietnam.

According to her account, Naraphat asked to borrow another player’s competition device, claiming her own phone lacked an internet connection — a move that violated regulations requiring coach approval and documentation for equipment sharing.

The captain also described Naraphat appearing visibly nervous, rushing onto the stage ahead of teammates, avoiding eye contact, and repeatedly tapping her phone screen in a manner that raised alarm.

Play was later paused while referees investigated, during which a warning was issued over the unauthorised use of Discord on the device — a finding the captain said aligned with earlier suspicions.

The matter was reported to the coach immediately after the match.

She stressed that the rest of the team had no involvement in the violation and said concerns had emerged days earlier but lacked sufficient evidence at the time to act.

SEA Games Already Under Scrutiny

The esports incident has added to growing criticism of the Thailand 2025 SEA Games, which have already faced scrutiny over allegations of biased judging and organisational shortcomings.

Earlier disputes included protests in taekwondo involving multiple countries, as well as criticism of scoring reversals and judging interpretation.

Changes to rhythmic gymnastics formats and inconsistencies over tie-breaks and shared medals have further fuelled controversy.

Arena of Valor — known locally as RoV (Realm of Valor) — is among Thailand’s most popular esports titles, and the incident has sparked renewed debate over competitive integrity at major international events.