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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Sport
Leyland Cecco in Toronto

Canada ‘shocked’ after spying scandal hits Olympic women’s football champions

Canada coach Bev Priestman was not involved in the drone scandal but will not be on the sidelines against New Zealand
Canada coach Bev Priestman was not involved in the drone scandal but will not be on the sidelines against New Zealand. Photograph: Nick Potts/PA

Canada’s Olympic women’s football team is in turmoil after officials were “shocked and disappointed” to learn drones were used to spy on their opponents. As part of the collateral damage, two staff with the women’s team have been “sent home immediately” and their head coach will be absent when Canada take on New Zealand in their Olympic opener on Thursday.

On Wednesday, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) said a “non-accredited member of the Canada Soccer support team” had been detained by French authorities in Saint-Étienne, a city 250 miles south of Paris, for improperly using a drone. The arrest follows a separate incident in which a drone was used to record New Zealand’s training sessions.

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