Canadian Women’s Olympic Soccer Coach Bev Priestman Suspended After Allegations Team Used Drone To Spy On Competitors

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

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

Kevin Blue, CEO and General Secretary of Canada Soccer, stated, “In light of these revelations, we’ve decided to suspend Priestman for the remainder of the Paris 2024 Olympics and until the completion of an independent external review.”

The controversy started when New Zealand’s Olympic Committee reported that a drone had flown over their team’s training session in St Etienne on July 22. The drone operator, identified as a member of the Canadian women’s soccer team’s support staff, was reportedly detained by local authorities.

Expressing shock and disappointment, New Zealand officials formally reported the incident to the International Olympic Committee’s integrity unit and requested a full review from Canada.

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

Despite the turmoil, Canada managed to secure a 2-1 victory over New Zealand in their Group A opener. Assistant coach Andy Spence will lead the team for the remainder of the competition.

Two other Canada Soccer staff members, coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardi, have also been sent home in connection with the incident. The Canadian Olympic Committee has mandated ethics training for the remaining Canada Soccer staff.