December 18, 2025 | 01:41 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Amid the ongoing SEA Games 2025 in Thailand, the host nation had to deal with a difficult situation. One of its esports players, Tokyogurl, was found to have broken competition rules and was subsequently disqualified. The removal of a home-country representative has caused a stir within the gaming community as the tournament continues.
During the first game of an Arena of Valor match against Vietnam on Monday, December 15, Naphat, known as Tokyogurl, breached Rule 9.4.3. According to the Bangkok Post, this rule concerns the use of unauthorised software. This incident happened during a high-stakes team match, bringing immediate attention from officials and spectators.
CNA reported that the SEA Games’ esports technical delegate confirmed the violation in a letter addressed to Thailand’s National Olympic Committee on Monday. The letter stated that the 24-year-old had used “unauthorised third-party software or hardware modification.”
Following further investigation, officials found conclusive evidence, which led to her expulsion from the competition. The delegate noted that the decision was final.
On Tuesday, the Thailand Esports Federation (TESF) acknowledged and accepted the ruling. TESF president Santi Lothong said, “What happened exceeded our responsibilities. As the host country, we could not allow the tournament to continue under such circumstances.”
The controversy grew because of Naphat’s behavior during a livestream of the match. She drew criticism for making a vulgar middle-finger gesture while on camera. However, VN Express cited her clarification that the gesture was a joke directed at a teammate rather than at the cameras or the audience. Despite her explanation, the image added to the public backlash.
Following the disqualification, Naphat’s agent, TALON TH, severed all ties with her. Additionally, the event organizer, Garena AoV Thailand, imposed a ban preventing her from participating in any future competitions under its organization.
In the wake of these events, Naphat deleted her TikTok and Facebook accounts.
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