The Southeast Asian Games, currently underway in Thailand, has officially included esports in its roster. While many athletes are sweating it out for the gold, the host nation has been rocked by a scandal: a Thai national player has been unceremoniously kicked out for cheating.

The player in question is Naphat 'Tokyogurl' Warasin, who was competing for the women's team in 'Arena of Valor', the global version of Honor of Kings. During the winner's bracket match against Vietnam on the 15th, she raised eyebrows by shielding her phone screen from her own teammates and flipped the bird at the live broadcast camera.

Thailand lost that match 0-3 to Vietnam, but the real trouble started post-game. Allegations of unauthorised third-party software usage triggered an investigation by the Southeast Asian Games organising committee. They discovered that her in-game character's movements didn't match her finger inputs. Further digging revealed TeamViewer, a remote access tool, was installed on her device. She had also been warned by referees earlier for using Discord during the match, which was strictly forbidden.

Following the inquiry, the Thailand E-Sports Federation disqualified her for rule violations and forced the entire women's team to withdraw. Her professional club, Talon Esports, immediately terminated her contract, while Garena, the publisher of Arena of Valor, issued a lifetime ban from all future competitions.

Arena of Valor is a massive deal in Thailand, boasting a robust local pro scene. Team captain Jomkhon 'Givemeakiss' Pumsinil stated, "We had absolutely no idea about the cheating. My heart is broken, and I sincerely apologise to the nation."

As for Warasin, she’s taken to Facebook to plead her innocence. "If I had been cheating, we would have won the match against Vietnam," she argued. She further claimed that she suffered a panic attack during the game, requiring medical attention, and insisted that her phone lacked any screen-sharing capabilities. As for the middle finger? She claims it was just a gesture intended for her teammates, under the mistaken impression that the camera was pointed at someone else.