PARIS — A member of Canada’s soccer staff was caught flying a drone over a New Zealand training session earlier this week as the two teams prepared to face off on the opening day of women’s soccer competition here at the 2024 Olympics.
The Canadian Olympic Committee acknowledged in a statement Wednesday that an “unaccredited member of the Canada Soccer support team was detained by French authorities” following the incident.
The COC said the staff member was believed to have been “using a drone to film the New Zealand women’s football team during practice.”
The New Zealand Olympic Committee said in an earlier statement that when they noticed the drone, “team support members immediately reported the incident to police.”
French authorities are on high alert this week ahead of Friday’s opening ceremony, an open-air spectacle on the River Seine. Amid security concerns, they have been strictly enforcing a ban on drones in and around Games venues across France. French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said Tuesday that authorities were intercepting an average of six drones a day.
“We have systems that allow us to intercept (the drones) very quickly and arrest their operators,” Attal said. “We cannot let anything slip through the cracks.”
They have shot down drones flown by tourists, presumably unaware of the restrictions, Attal said.
What they probably didn’t anticipate was having to keep an eye on the reigning Olympic women’s soccer champions before a matchup with an underdog.
Canada won gold in Tokyo and will begin the defence of its title on Thursday in Saint-Etienne, several hours south of Paris, against New Zealand, the underdog in a four-team group that also includes France and Colombia.
Both Canada and New Zealand have been training in the region ahead of the opening match. After informing police about the drone, the NZOC also said it had lodged a formal complaint with the International Olympic Committee and “requested Canada to conduct a full review.”
The IOC has yet to comment and did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. It is unclear whether Canada could be sanctioned.
The Canadian Olympic Committee said it was “shocked and disappointed” to learn of the incident.
“We offer our sincere apologies to the New Zealand Football Federation, all affected players and the New Zealand Olympic Committee,” the COC said in its statement. “We are reviewing next steps with the IOC, Paris 2024, Canada Soccer and FIFA (football’s world governing body). We will provide an update later (on Wednesday).”