The Canadian women’s soccer team at the Paris Olympics is in hot water after a couple of staff members were accused of using a drone to spy on the training sessions of an upcoming opponent.
Members of the New Zealand squad spotted the drone flying overhead on Monday during a training session in Saint-Étienne, the location for Thursday’s game between the two nations. It’s also emerged that a similar flight took place three days earlier, on Friday.
After news of the reported reconnaissance missions broke, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) issued an apology, insisting in a statement that it “stands for fair-play,” and felt “shocked and disappointed” by what had happened.
It added: “We offer our heartfelt apologies to New Zealand Football, to all the players affected, and to the New Zealand Olympic Committee. We are reviewing next steps with the IOC [International Olympic Committee], Paris 2024, Canada Soccer, and FIFA.”
Two members of the Canadian Olympic Team linked to the scandal have been sent home, with one of them believed to have been the alleged drone operator and the other an assistant coach for the Canadian team who reportedly received information that was gathered during the drone flights.
The COC has also confirmed that it has accepted the offer of Canada’s team coach, Bev Priestman, to stand down from coaching duties for the New Zealand game.
In a statement, Priestman, who denied playing any role in the incident, said: “On behalf of our entire team, I first and foremost want to apologize to the players and staff at New Zealand Football and to the players on Team Canada. This does not represent the values that our team stands for. I am ultimately responsible for conduct in our program.”
Responding to the scandal, the New Zealand Olympic Committee said it was “deeply shocked and disappointed” by what had happened. “Team support members immediately reported the incident to police, leading to the drone operator, who has been identified as a support staff member of the wider Canadian Women’s football team, to be detained. The NZOC has formally lodged the incident with the IOC integrity unit and has asked Canada for a full review.”
FIFA’s disciplinary committee has now launched an official investigation into the incident.