Canada women's soccer drone incident sparks controversy ahead of Paris Olympics

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A drone incident involving the Canada and New Zealand women’s soccer teams caused controversy ahead of their first match at the Paris Olympics.

New Zealand launched a complaint to the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) integrity unit after a drone was flown over the country’s women’s soccer team training session. The drone was found to be operated by a member of the Canadian team’s support staff.

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Canada's players pose for photos on the pitch at Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics on Tuesday, July 23, 2024 in Saint-Etienne, France. Canada is scheduled to play New Zealand on Thursday, July 25. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

"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," the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) said in a statement Tuesday.

"The NZOC has formally lodged the incident with the IOC integrity unit and has asked Canada for a full review."

The Canadian Olympic Committee announced its discipline on Wednesday and revealed it learned of a second drone incident that occurred on July 19.

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Canada head coach Bev Priestman, center, talks to the team following the She Believes Cup game between Brazil and Canada at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on April 6, 2024 in Atlanta. (Andrea Vilchez/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

The organization said "unaccredited analyst" Joseph Lombardi and assistant coach Jasmine Mander were sent home from Paris over the incident.

Canadian soccer head coach Bev Priestman will not be on the sidelines for the team’s match against New Zealand on Thursday.

"On behalf of our entire team, I first and foremost want to apologize to the players and staff at New Zealand Football and to the players on Team Canada. This does not represent the values that our team stands for," Priestman said in a statement.

"I am ultimately responsible for conduct in our program. Accordingly, to emphasize our team’s commitment to integrity, I have decided to voluntarily withdraw from coaching the match on Thursday. In the spirit of accountability, I do this with the interests of both teams in mind and to ensure everyone feels that the sportsmanship of this game is upheld."

Katie Kitching of New Zealand, center, is congratulated by team mates after scoring a goal during the Women's International Friendly match between the New Zealand Football Ferns and Thailand at Apollo Projects Stadium on April 6, 2024 in Christchurch, New Zealand. (Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images)

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Canada is the defending gold medal winners. They defeated Sweden in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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