PARIS — New Zealand has lodged a formal complaint with the IOC, alleging that a “support staff member” for Canadian soccer flew a drone over its training session in Saint-Étienne on Monday.
The New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) said in a statement that Canada had issued an apology, while the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) said it was “shocked and disappointed” by the incident and has launched an investigation.
The COC said the individual has been arrested by French authorities.
Canada, the reigning Olympic gold medallists, is scheduled to open the women's tournament against New Zealand at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard on Thursday.
“Support staff members immediately reported the incident to police, leading to the arrest of the drone operator, who has been identified as a member of the wider Canadian women's soccer team's support staff,” the NZOC said in a statement.
“NZOC has formally raised the incident with the IOC's integrity unit and has requested a full review by Canada.
“Team Canada has issued an apology and is investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.”
The NZOC added that it was “deeply shocked” and said it was a matter of “integrity and fairness”.
Canada, for its part, said it was also surprised.
The COC said it was informed that an “uncredited” member of its support team had used a drone to film the Silver Ferns' practice.
“The Canadian Olympic Committee stands for fair play and we are shocked and disappointed. We offer our sincerest apologies to the New Zealand Football Federation, all affected players and the New Zealand Olympic Committee.”
He added that he was “reviewing the next steps” with the IOC, the Paris organising committee and FIFA.
