PARIS – Although the Olympic flame has yet to be ignited at the Paris Games, the first espionage scandal has already emerged.
The Canadian Olympic Committee announced on Tuesday that it has sent home an assistant women’s soccer coach and an analyst from Canada Soccer following allegations of spying on an opponent. The New Zealand women’s soccer team reported that their training session on Tuesday was disrupted by a drone, which was allegedly operated by a member of the Canadian women’s soccer team staff.
In a statement, the Canadian Olympic Committee confirmed two incidents involving drone flights in the city of Saint-Étienne, where both teams are scheduled to play on Thursday. As a result, the COC has removed assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardi from their positions.
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The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) announced it has accepted head coach Bev Priestman’s decision not to coach the team in Thursday’s game. Additionally, Canada Soccer staff will undergo mandatory ethics training.
Regarding the drone incident at a soccer training session on July 22, the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) reported that the drone operator was detained by police.
“Team support members immediately reported the incident to police, leading to the drone operator, identified as a support staff member of the wider Canadian Women’s football team, being detained,” the NZOC stated.
The International Olympic Committee’s integrity unit has also been informed of the incident, according to the NZOC.
“The Canadian Olympic Committee stands for fair play and we are shocked and disappointed,” the committee said in a statement. “We offer our heartfelt apologies to New Zealand Football, to all the players affected, and to the New Zealand Olympic Committee.”
The New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) and New Zealand Football expressed being “deeply shocked and disappointed by this incident.”
“The NZOC’s primary focus at this time is to support the New Zealand women’s football athletes and the broader team as they begin their campaign,” they stated.
This article was originally published on USA TODAY: What we know about Canada flying drones over Olympic soccer practices.