The cheers in the SEA Games 33 arena had barely quieted when the Southeast Asian eSports community erupted over the most shocking cheating scandal in history. The women’s Arena of Valor (RoV) competition unexpectedly became the center of a drama when Thai player – hot girl Tokyogurl – was found cheating, resulting in serious consequences: the Thai women’s RoV team withdrew completely, and Tokyogurl personally received a lifetime ban.
Specifically, according to Dailynews, as soon as the incident was clarified, a series of penalties were imposed on Tokyogurl. The Thai eSports Federation (TESF) confirmed that Tokyogurl violated article 9.4.3 of the competition rules, and was immediately disqualified from SEA Games 33. The entire Thai women’s RoV team withdrew from the tournament.
Publisher Garena has banned Tokyogurl from participating in all RoV tournaments, with the ban effective from December 16, 2025. The management team TALON also terminated the player’s contract immediately. The organizers of RoV Esports have banned Tokyogurl for life from all RoV competitions.
On December 17, 2025, Mr. Santi Lohtong – President of the Asian eSports Federation and also President of the Thai eSports Federation (TESF) – went live on Hone Krasae along with players and coaches to clarify the recent drama.
When asked whether Tokyogurl was truly skilled, Mr. Santi candidly stated that based on previous statistics, she was quite outstanding, but after directly speaking and reviewing all the clear evidence, he “dared not affirm that she was truly skilled” and even suggested that “it could be fake.” He also did not shy away from the coaching staff’s responsibility when questioning what criteria the coach used to evaluate players, as if the selection process had been accurate, this incident would not have happened, affirming that TESF would continue to clarify internal responsibilities.
Regarding the moment Tokyogurl hurriedly went on stage to set up equipment before the match against Vietnam, Mr. Santi affirmed that there was definitely an issue because eSports always leaves “traces” on the competition phone and cannot be denied. He emphasized that the management did not allow players to set up on their own from the beginning, and this action violated the rules that professional referees could not overlook. When checking the equipment, TESF discovered that in an application abbreviated as DC, there were two accounts logged in simultaneously, all of which had been screenshot and kept as evidence; Tokyogurl frequently stating that her ID was logged out and needed to log in again led him to believe that someone outside logged in during that time.
Explaining why only Tokyogurl was banned while the entire Thai women’s RoV team withdrew from the SEA Games, Mr. Santi noted that the head referee from the Philippines confirmed that only Tokyogurl had installed the prohibited software, and no teammates assisted or hindered her, so legally only she was punished. However, after internal discussions, the federation and the team felt too embarrassed, and the decision not to continue competing was made to express the spirit and honor of the Thai people. He also revealed that other teams at the SEA Games venue came to encourage the Thai team after this decision.
In light of reports that Tokyogurl was hospitalized due to panic, Mr. Santi stated that that evening TESF took her for examination, and Chulalongkorn Hospital sent a doctor to examine her and recommended hospitalization, with all costs covered by him. However, the doctor’s conclusion was that it was enteritis, not a brain-related issue, and in his personal opinion, this resembled a “fear of losing” rather than a real panic attack.
Regarding the suspicion of someone playing on her behalf, the TESF president confirmed that the federation has kept full evidence and Tokyogurl is 100% at fault, emphasizing that the heaviest penalty is a lifetime ban from the national team. He warned that if any other team accepts Tokyogurl, that team will also lose the right to participate in the national team as cheating cannot be accepted in the system. He also stated that all login emails have file logs and TESF is tracing where the logins came from, because he said, “if cheating still leads to losing, it is even more humiliating.” The person suspected of playing on her behalf has been revealed to be a semi-professional player, and if confirmed, this person will no longer be allowed to be involved with any eSports organization affiliated with the federation.
Concluding the sharing session, Mr. Santi stated that he had consulted with the Thai Sports Commission and affirmed that whoever is at fault will be punished, but anyone involved must also bear responsibility, as he loves eSports and feels very sad when someone harms the image of this discipline.