Canada caught spying on opponent before Olympic soccer match
The Canadian women’s national soccer team has been caught in an embarrassing position ahead of their first game at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
An apology has been issued by the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) after reports broke that Canada was spying on a New Zealand practice via a drone.
The COC confirmed a person affiliated with Canada Soccer has been detained after being caught flying a drone over a New Zealand soccer practice. They’re thought to have been recording the practice in an effort to acquire intel ahead of an upcoming game between the two teams.
“The Canadian Olympic Committee stands for fair-play and we are shocked and disappointed,” reads a statement put out by the COC this afternoon. “We offer our heartfelt apologies to New Zealand Football, to all the players affected, and to the New Zealand Olympic Committee.”
The Canadian statement referred to the detained person as a “non-accredited member of the Canada Soccer support team.”
The incident happened earlier this week while the New Zealand team was training in St. Etienne in France. A formal complaint has been lodged with the International Olympic Committee’s Integrity Unit.
“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,” reads the New Zealand Olympic Committee’s statement per theĀ Straits Times.Ā
Canada plays New Zealand in its first game of the tournament on Thursday (11 am ET/8 am PT). The Canadians are looking to repeat their gold medal performance from the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.
The Canadian team is ranked eighth in the Women’s FIFA world rankings, while the New Zealand team is ranked 28th.
All parties seem to be working towards a solution as the Canadian statement explained that they’re cooperating with different groups in an attempt to get to the bottom of the situation.
“We are reviewing next steps with the IOC, Paris 2024, Canada Soccer, and FIFA. We will provide an update later today,” continues the statement from the COC.
The Paris 2024 Olympic opening ceremony takes place on Friday but certain events start tomorrow ahead of the big day.
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