Excitement at the Olympics

Arrest! Drone scandal at the Olympic Games

Canada and New Zealand meet on Thursday in Saint-Etienne. A drone causes a stir before the game.

(Bild: AP/Silvia Izquierdo, tostphoto – stock.adobe.com)

Excitement at the Olympic Games: The training of the New Zealand women's soccer team was spied on by coaches of the Canadian team using a drone. The match analyst and the assistant coach were sent home.

New Zealand complained to the International Olympic Committee about Canada because of a drone incident during training for the national women's soccer team. According to the New Zealand National Olympic Committee, a drone was observed flying over the pitch during the training session on Monday ahead of the two teams' opening match in the Olympic tournament on Thursday in St. Étienne and was reported to the police.

Shortly afterwards, two members of the Canadian coaching staff were sent home. They were non-accredited match analyst Joseph Lombardi and assistant coach Jasmine Mander. Head coach Bev Priestman apologized and announced that she would not be coaching against the New Zealanders.

Shocked and disappointed
The Canadian Olympic Committee said it was "shocked and disappointed" by the incident. "We extend our sincere apologies to New Zealand Soccer, all the players involved and the New Zealand Olympic Committee." The incident and further steps are to be discussed with the IOC, the organizers and the world governing body FIFA.