The Canadian Olympic Committee has issued an apology following an incident in which a Canada Soccer staff member allegedly flew a drone over a training session of the New Zealand women’s football team.
The incident occurred on Monday in St Etienne, where the teams are scheduled to compete in Group A of the Olympic football tournament on Thursday.
The New Zealand Olympic Committee reported the incident to the police, resulting in the detention of the drone operator. The committee expressed its “shock and disappointment” over the event.
The Canadian Olympic Committee later confirmed that the individual involved was a “non-accredited member of the Canada Soccer support team” and had been detained by authorities.
“The Canadian Olympic Committee stands for fair play and we are shocked and disappointed,” it added in a statement.
“We offer our heartfelt apologies to New Zealand Football, to all the players affected, and to the New Zealand Olympic Committee.”
It added they are “reviewing next steps with the International Olympic Committee, Paris 2024, Canada Soccer, and Fifa” before providing an update on Wednesday.
The NZOC said it has “formally lodged the incident with the IOC integrity unit and has asked Canada for a full review”.
“Team Canada has issued an apology and is investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident,” it added.
“The NZOC and New Zealand Football are committed to upholding the integrity and fairness of the Olympic Games and are deeply shocked and disappointed by this incident.”
Canada, led by British manager Beverly Priestman, won gold in Tokyo in 2021.
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