Even in important tournaments, it happens that professionals cannot refrain from cheating. A Thai professional player was caught in December and is said to have cheated her entire career.
What did the professional player do? At the SEA Games, the Olympic Games of Southeast Asia, there are traditional sports as well as the esports category. Various competitive games such as the battle royale Free Fire, the sports game FC Online, or the mobile MOBA Arena of Valor are played there.
The player Tokyogurl was a “professional” in Arena of Valor and represented Thailand at the SEA Games. Together with her team, she reached the semifinals on December 15, 2025. During one round, she made a strange finger movement that did not correspond to her gameplay.
The tournament officials investigated and found out that she was running third-party software to have someone else play for her (dexerto.com).
What were the consequences for the player? Although Tokyogurl denied the allegations, she was subsequently disqualified, and Thailand pulled the entire team from the tournament. One day later, she was released from her team Talon Esports and received a ban from the publisher of Arena of Valor for all tournaments.
Her boyfriend played several tournaments for Tokyogurl
How did the truth come to light? Her boyfriend and also a professional in Arena of Valor, Cheerio, published a Tiktok on January 2, 2026, in which he clarified the allegations.
He wrote among other things in the Tiktok (according to dexerto.com): “I want to go public and clarify the incidents that happened in the past during the SEA Games and other competitions where everyone suspected that a third person played in several matches. I admit that this is true.”
What did Tokyogurl say about her boyfriend’s statement? Tokyogurl’s clarification was less extensive. On Facebook, she simply wrote: “I’m sorry.” (according to dexerto.com)
Are there further consequences? Yes, the Esports Association of Thailand will take legal action against Tokyogurl, who is said to have built her career on another player, and Cheerio. Cheerio’s statement is supposed to expedite the investigations, which will continue until the case is fully resolved (according to en.thairath.co.th).
Those who did not cheat in an esports tournament was the 92-year-old Hisako Sakai from Japan. The Care Esports Association of Japan hosts a tournament for seniors twice a year. There she managed to defeat her 18 years younger opponent in Tekken and earn the gold medal: At 92, a grandma wins her first esports tournament, defeating her 18 years younger opponent
