Olympic drone spying scandal lands Canadian coach a red card

A subordinate of the Canadian Olympic women’s shot squad was caught using a drone to spy connected New Zealand’s signifier league connected Monday. It’s said to beryllium the 2nd “drone incident” astatine a New Zealand signifier implicit the past week.

As a result, the Canadian Olympic Committee has announced that shot manager Bev Priestman volition not manager the Olympic team’s opening lucifer tomorrow. Two different staffers person been removed from the squad and are being sent location from the games.

The Canadian women’s shot squad are the defending Olympic champions aft winning golden astatine the Tokyo games successful 2021. According to TSN, the New Zealand squad is presently ranked 28th. Taking Priestman’s spot arsenic caput manager during tomorrow’s lucifer volition beryllium the team’s adjunct coach, Andy Spence.

An existing prohibition connected flying drones astir Paris is being strictly enforced by information during the 2024 Summer Olympics, which officially commencement tomorrow. French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said Tuesday that information forces are intercepting an mean of six drones each time utilizing instrumentality specified arsenic physics awesome jammers, according to France 24.

On Monday, a drone was spotted flying implicit a signifier league held by the New Zealand women’s shot squad successful Saint-Étienne, France, a metropolis located astir six hours southbound of Paris. The incidental was reported to French authorities who located and detained the drone’s operator, described by the COC arsenic a “non-accredited” enactment subordinate of the Canadian shot team’s staff, according to the CBC.

The New Zealand Olympic Committee “formally lodged the incidental with the [International Olympic Committee] integrity unit” and asked the COC for a afloat review, according to a statement released by the New Zealand Olympic Committee yesterday.

The COC and caput manager Priestman apologized to the NZOC and announced respective disciplinary actions aft reviewing Monday’s events and a erstwhile drone incidental during a New Zealand signifier connected July 19th.

In summation to accepting Priestman’s determination to beryllium removed from coaching the team’s opening lucifer against New Zealand, 2 different members — Joseph Lombardi, an “an unaccredited expert with Canada Soccer,” and Jasmine Mander, an adjunct manager — are being removed from the Canadian Olympic Team and being sent home. The COC says that Canada Soccer unit volition besides “undergo mandatory morals training.”