Paris 2024: Canada football staff member detained over Olympic drone incident

Olympic champion Canada faces New Zealand on Thursday in the opening game of its gold-medal defence.

REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE: The New Zealand women’s football team said that it complained to the International Olympic Committee’s integrity unit after a drone flown over the team’s training session was found to be operated by a member of the Canadian team’s support staff. | Photo Credit: AP

A staff member from the Canadian women’s football team has been detained by French authorities for flying a drone over a New Zealand training session ahead of their match at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The Canadian Olympic Committee said it was “shocked and disappointed” by the incident on Tuesday in Saint-Etienne and was investigating.

“We offer our heartfelt apologies to New Zealand Football, to all the players affected and to the New Zealand Olympic Committee,” it said in a statement Wednesday.

Olympic champion Canada faces New Zealand on Thursday in the opening game of its gold-medal defence.

The New Zealand Olympic Committee said team support members reported the incident to police, with the drone operator detained.

“The NZOC has formally lodged the incident with the IOC integrity unit and has asked Canada for a full review,” it added.

Canada said the person was a non-accredited member of Canada Soccer and it was liaising with the International Olympic Committee and football governing body FIFA on what steps to take next.