PARIS — A Canada soccer staffer was caught flying a drone over a New Zealand training session earlier this week as the two teams prepared to meet on opening day of the women’s soccer competition here at the 2024 Olympics.
The Canadian Olympic Committee acknowledged in a statement Wednesday that a “non-accredited member of the Canada Soccer support team was detained by French authorities” following the incident.
The COC then added in a follow-up statement that the non-accredited member, Joseph Lombardi, and his boss, assistant coach Jasmine Mander, would be removed from the Canadian delegation and sent home from the Games. Head coach Bev Priestman also self-imposed a one-game suspension.
Priestman and the COC also apologized to New Zealand’s soccer federation, to the New Zealand Olympic Committee and to “all the players affected.”
“I am ultimately responsible for the conduct in our program,” Priestman said in a statement. She said she would “voluntarily withdraw from coaching the match” against New Zealand “to emphasize our team’s commitment to integrity,” and “with the interests of both teams in mind and to ensure everyone feels that the sportsmanship of this game is upheld.”
The New Zealand Olympic Committee initially raised the issue with a Tuesday statement. When team members noticed the drone, they “immediately reported the incident to police,” the NZOC said.
French authorities are on high alert this week ahead of Friday’s Opening Ceremony, an open-air extravaganza on the River Seine. Amid security concerns, they have been strictly enforcing a ban on drones at and around Games venues throughout France. French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said Tuesday that authorities were intercepting an average of six drones per day.
“Systems are in place to allow us to very quickly intercept [drones] and arrest their operators,” Attal said. “We can’t allow anything to slip past us.”
They have taken down drones flown by tourists, presumably unaware of the restrictions, Attal said.
What they likely didn’t anticipate was needing to police the reigning Olympic women’s soccer champions ahead of a matchup with an underdog.
Canada won gold in Tokyo. It opens its title defense Thursday in Saint-Étienne, several hours south of Paris, against New Zealand, the least-fancied team in a four-team group also featuring France and Colombia.
Both Canada and New Zealand have been training in the region ahead of the opener. After reporting the drone to police, the NZOC also said that it lodged a formal complaint with the International Olympic Committee, and “asked Canada for a full review.”
The IOC has not yet commented, and did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. It’s unclear if Canada might be punished.
The Canadian Olympic Committee said it was “shocked and disappointed” after learning of the incident.
“We offer our heartfelt apologies to New Zealand Football, to all the players affected, and to 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 [soccer’s global governing body]. We will provide an update later [Wednesday].”
