Thai e-sports duo sentenced over SEA Games cheating case

A Bangkok court sent a former Thai national e-sports player, known as “Tokyogurl”, and an accomplice to prison today over a cheating scandal that rocked the country’s team during the 2025 SEA Games in Bangkok.

The court handed down six-month prison sentences to 29-year-old Naphat Warasin, a former member of Thailand’s national e-sports team, and 23-year-old gamer Chaiyayo, also known as “Cheerio.”

The court then reduced their sentences to three months each, in recognition of their guilty pleas, and commuted the jail terms to detention.

The pair were found guilty of using unauthorised third-party assistance during a match against Vietnam, violating competition rules during the 33rd SEA Games, hosted by Thailand in December last year.

The case is linked to a high-profile scandal involving the women’s Arena of Valour (AOV) competition, from which Thailand’s team abruptly withdrew amid allegations of cheating.

Investigators found that Naphat had used the third-party assistance during a match, had damaged the credibility of Thailand’s e-sports selection process and harmed the country’s reputation as the host nation.

Naphat was expelled from the tournament after evidence emerged that she had allowed a third party to control her game account during competition.

The fallout forced officials to withdraw the entire Thai women’s team.

The scandal also led to further disciplinary action, including a ban from all federation activities and potential financial penalties, such as the return of training allowances.

While the court did reduce their sentences, it said that the severity of the offenses warranted a custodial sentence, even in its commuted form.