Canadian Olympic soccer coach Bev Priestman suspended after her team used drones to spy on competitors

The head coach of the Canadian women’s soccer team, Bev Priestman, was suspended following allegations of drone spying at the Paris Games.

The Canadian Olympic Committee announced Friday that Priestman was removed from the national team after Canada Soccer suspended her. The decision came in response to new information about previous cases of drone use against opponents leading up to the current Olympics.

Kevin BlueCEO and General Secretary of Canada Soccer, stated: “In light of these revelations, we have decided to suspend Priestman for the remainder of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and pending the completion of an independent external review.”

The controversy began when New Zealand’s Olympic Committee reported that a drone flew over its team’s training session in Saint-Etienne on July 22. The drone pilot, identified as a member of the Canadian women’s soccer team’s support staff, was reportedly arrested by local authorities.

New Zealand officials expressed their horror and disappointment, officially reported the incident to the International Olympic Committee’s Integrity Unit and called for a full investigation by Canada.

Priestman, who led Canada to gold in Tokyo in 2020, sat out her team’s opening match against New Zealand on Thursday. In a statement, she apologized for the incident, saying: “This does not represent the values ​​our team stands for. I am ultimately responsible for the conduct in our program.”

Despite the confusion, Canada managed to win 2-1 against New Zealand in their opening match in Group A. Assistant coach Andy Spence will lead the team for the rest of the competition.

Two other Canada Soccer employees, coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardiwere also sent home in connection with the incident. The Canadian Olympic Committee has ordered ethics training for the remaining Canada Soccer employees.

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