New Zealand has filed a complaint with the International Olympic Committee’s integrity unit regarding an incident involving a drone flown over a New Zealand women’s soccer team training session. Investigations revealed that the drone was operated by a member of the Canadian team’s support staff.
The situation is particularly sensitive as defending Olympic
champion Canada and New Zealand are scheduled to face each other in their
opening match at the Olympic tournament on Thursday. The drone incident
occurred earlier this week, according to a statement released by the New
Zealand Olympic Committee on Wednesday.
“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
NZOC said in a statement.
“The NZOC has formally lodged the incident with the IOC
integrity unit and has asked Canada for a full review.”
The Canadian Olympic Committee has extended an apology to
the New Zealand Olympic Committee and New Zealand Football.
“The Canadian Olympic Committee stands for fair play and we
are shocked and disappointed,” the statement said. “We offer our heartfelt
apologies to New Zealand Football, to all the players affected, and to the New
Zealand Olympic Committee.”
The NZOC said it and New Zealand Football “are committed to
upholding the integrity and fairness of the Olympic Games — at this time the
NZOC’s main priority is to support the New Zealand women’s football athletes
and wider team as they start their campaign.”
A Canadian soccer team has once again found itself embroiled
in a drone controversy involving an international rival’s training session.
In 2021, during a men’s World Cup qualifier match between Canada and Honduras in Toronto, the Honduran team abruptly halted their training session after noticing a drone hovering above the field. This incident, as reported by Honduran media outlets, resulted in a 1-1 draw between the two teams.