The esports community has been rocked by a significant development in the controversial cheating scandal at the 33rd SEA Games. A Thai esports player, known by the alias “Cheerio” or “Kong,” has publicly confessed to being the individual responsible for cheating on behalf of fellow player Warasin Naraphat, widely known as ‘Tokyogurl,’ in the mobile game Arena of Valor. This confession, made public at the beginning of 2026, sheds new light on an incident that caused widespread debate throughout the previous year.
The initial controversy emerged on December 15, 2025, when the Thai e-women’s team faced Vietnam in Arena of Valor and suffered a decisive 3-0 defeat. Following the match, allegations surfaced against Warasin Naraphat, ‘Tokyogurl,’ accusing her of illicitly utilizing a mobile help system that allowed a third party to compete in her place. A subsequent investigation confirmed the cheating allegations, leading to ‘Tokyogurl’ and her team being officially disqualified from the 33rd SEA Games Arena of Valor competition.
This scandal, involving a 24-year-old representative athlete, cast a significant shadow over Thailand’s reputation as the host nation for the SEA Games. The incident compounded existing criticisms regarding the organization of various sports competitions during the event, which had already faced numerous technical problems and trials. Many observers and participants considered these issues to be among the worst events, contributing to the perception of it being one of the most poorly organized SEA Games in the history of Southeast Asian sports.
However, a dramatic twist occurred on January 2, 2026, when the Thai esports player Cheerio (Kong) came forward with a surprising confession. In a post shared across social media platforms, including TikTok, Cheerio openly admitted to being the true perpetrator behind the cheating incident, stating that he was the one who exploited mobile plugins to manipulate the game on Tokyogurl’s behalf. He expressed profound regret for his actions, publicly accepting all criticism and issuing a heartfelt apology.
Despite Cheerio’s late confession, the repercussions for ‘Tokyogurl’ had already been severe. The game’s developer, Arena of Valor, had previously issued a lifetime ban, effectively ending her career as an esports athlete. In the wake of Cheerio’s public admission, ‘Tokyogurl’ herself posted another apology on Facebook, acknowledging the complex situation and reiterating her regret.
