Bev Priestman has been suspended as the head coach of Canada for the rest of the Paris 2024 Olympics due to a drone scandal.

Bev Priestman, the head coach of the Canadian women’s national team, has been removed from her role for the remainder of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games following a drone scandal. The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) confirmed this news in a statement released on Thursday.

Assistant coach Andy Spence will take charge of the team in Priestman’s absence, as she missed the team’s 2-1 victory over New Zealand in their opening match.

The COC’s statement, released on X, stated that “additional information has come to our attention regarding previous drone use against opponents, predating the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.” Canada Soccer CEO and general secretary Kevin Blue explained that due to these revelations, Priestman has been suspended for the rest of the Olympic Games and until the completion of an independent external review.

The series of events began when New Zealand Football reported that a drone had been flown over their training session on Monday, July 22. The incident was reported to the police, and a member of the Canada women’s football support staff was detained for operating the drone.

The COC conducted a review and discovered another drone incident on Friday, July 19, which led to the removal of assistant coach Jasmine Mander and unaccredited analyst Joseph Lombardi.

In response to these developments, Priestman stepped back from her role on Wednesday, while the Canada Soccer staff will undergo mandatory ethics training. Priestman issued an apology, stating, “On behalf of our entire team, I first and foremost want to apologize to the players and staff at New Zealand Football and to the players on Team Canada. This does not represent the values that our team stands for.” She took responsibility for the conduct in their program and voluntarily withdrew from coaching the match on Thursday to uphold the sportsmanship of the game.

Under the leadership of Andy Spence, Canada will continue their campaign against France on Sunday at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Etienne.