Tokyogurl removed from SEA Games over esports rule breach
A player from Thailand’s women’s Arena of Valor (RoV) team was removed from the 33rd SEA Games tournament yesterday, December 15, following an internal issue that surfaced before a crucial match.
The Thai team had just suffered a 0–3 loss to Vietnam in the upper bracket final, placing them into today’s lower bracket final against Laos. They need a win in order to get a rematch with Vietnam in the gold medal match of the SEA Games esports competition.
Yesterday evening, Jomkhon Phumsinin, also known as Givemeakiss, one of the team’s players, posted a cryptic message on her Facebook page, “Knowing the truth broke my heart, but I’ll do my best.”
Khaosod reported that on the same day, Napat Warasin, known in the esports scene as Tokyogurl, was captured on camera making a middle finger gesture during the live broadcast of the match. She was subsequently substituted out during the game against Vietnam.
Speculation quickly spread through online communities that a player on the team had installed unauthorised software on a competition device. It was suggested that the offence could result in a ban, although no formal confirmation had been made at that time.
On the morning of December 16, another team member, Jenniex, posted a message on Facebook, saying:
“Today I want to focus on the match and my duties first. I’ll respond to everyone’s questions later. Everything happened so fast. I’ve read all the comments, both good and bad. I’ll speak out soon. Thank you to everyone for your support. I’ll do my best.”
Later, the Thailand Esports Federation (TESF) issued an official statement confirming the removal of Tokyogurl from the national team. The decision was made following a violation of section 9.4.3 of the SEA Games esports technical handbook, involving the use of unauthorised third-party software or hardware modifications during the match on December 15.
In related news, the opening ceremony of the 2025 SEA Games at Bangkok’s Rajamangala National Stadium sparked widespread criticism after a series of errors.
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