But the football games come in the wake of a spying scandal that hit reigning Olympic gold medalists, Canada, with two of their staff members — assistant coach Jasmine Mander and football Joseph Lombardi — immediately sent back home.
Earlier this week, New Zealand complained to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) about a series of incidents involving drones flying over their training ground.Canada later confirmed that a non-accredited member of their staff was detained after a drone was spotted above training and issued a heartfelt apology to the Kiwi Olympic Committee.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.”
It’s not the first time a Canadian football team has been involved in a drone controversy involving an international rival’s training session.
In 2021, in Toronto, Honduras stopped a training session ahead of their men’s World Cup qualifier against Canada after spotting a drone above the field, according to reports in Honduran media.
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