At the investigating agency, Naphat Warasin (Tokyogurl) admitted to letting someone else play for him in the semi-final match of SEA Games 33 against the Vietnamese women's team.
According to her testimony, she provided an official competition account to an individual named Cheerio - who was not on the athlete registration list - to remotely control the match.
To carry out this act, Naphat brought her personal phone into the competition area and tried to swap it with equipment provided by the organizers. She placed a stack of two devices, plugged the charger to create a natural feeling, while the phone was officially hidden under the table.
Naphat also uses his feet to hold the device to avoid the referee's attention. Through online communication software, Cheerio can access his account and operate directly during the match.
The plan was quickly detected when the security system recorded the same account appearing on two different devices, and also detected the use of a banned application in the competition area. The referee then conducted an inspection and decided to strip the Thai women's team of their right to compete.
Notably, Naphat testified that "ask to play instead" was not the first time. She admitted to maintaining this form for about 3 years before the SEA Games, with the aim of building the image of a highly qualified player to increase influence on social networks and attract advertising contracts.
According to the testimony, Cheerio was paid several hundred baht each time and was supported with living expenses and personal expenses.
This information has caused special public concern in the region, because the case is not only related to competition cheating but also shows the untruthful way of building a reputation in the e-sports environment.
Naphat was once a prominent face of the Arena of Valor Thailand community, expected to be an important factor at SEA Games 33. However, after the scandal, she was banned from competing indefinitely at tournaments managed by the Thai Esports Association, and the file was transferred to the prosecuting agency for handling according to legal regulations.
The case is being further investigated, and raises a big question about supervision, transparency and ethical standards in the regional esports ecosystem.
