In a shocking incident, a complaint has been filed by New Zealand to the integrity unit of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after a drone was being flown by a Canadian football team staff over the practice session of the New Zealand women’s football team during a practice session in Paris Olympics 2024.
“On July 22, a drone was flown over the New Zealand women’s football team training session in St Etienne. 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 on Wednesday.
“The NZOC has formally lodged the incident with the IOC integrity unit and has asked Canada for a full review,” the statement further read.
An apology came from Canada as they said that the member flying the drone did not have an accreditation card.
“The Canadian Olympic Committee stands for fair play and we are shocked and disappointed. We offer our heartfelt apologies to New Zealand Football, to all the players affected, and to the New Zealand Olympic Committee,” read a statement from the apex body of Canada.
Notably, Canada has had a history of flying drones to get a sneak-peek into the training sessions of their opposition team. Way back in 2021 in Toronto, Honduras had complained about a drone being flown above their practice session before a FIFA World Cup Qualifier Game, as per reports in the Honduras media.
New Zealand and Canada lock horns on 25th July 2024 in Paris Olympics 2024
Defending champions Canada open their campaign in the Paris Olympics 2024 against New Zealand women. The match is slated to begin from 8:30 PM (IST) and promises to be an absolute crackerjack of a contest.
Canada had defeated Sweden 3-2 in penalties in the summit clash in Tokyo Olympics 2020 after the match ended at 1-1 post regulation time.
Also read: India’s Full Schedule Paris Olympics 2024: Match Date, Time, Venue
