The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) has apologized after a Canada Soccer staff member allegedly flew a drone over a New Zealand women’s football team training session.
The incident happened on Monday in St Etienne, with the teams facing each other in Group A of the Olympic football tournament on Thursday.
The New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) said, external it reported the incident to police, leading to the drone operator being detained, adding it was “shocked and disappointed”.
The COC later confirmed the “non-accredited member of the Canada Soccer support team” was detained by authorities.
“The Canadian Olympic Committee stands for fair play and we are shocked and disappointed,” it added in a statement., external
“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 COC 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.
