The Canada drone controversy at the Olympics - explained

There have been a whole host of examples of teams and individuals attempting to gain an unfair advantage over their opponents across the annals of sporting history.

From match-fixing to 'Spygate', the lengths some have gone to for personal gain or to get an upper hand on their opponents have shocked the world.

On the grand sporting stage that is the Olympics, supposedly a celebration of athletic endeavour, scandals have been rife. While the latest controversy pales in comparison to boycotts or state-sponsored doping, Canada's drone usage means the Paris Games haven't got off to the greatest of starts in terms of upholding the traditional Olympic values.

Here's an explanation into Canada's misdoings at the start of the women's football event.

What were Canada accused of doing at Paris Olympics?

Canada Women started the defence of their gold medal with a 2-1 victory over New Zealand on Thursday, but unexpected drama was brought to the fixture given events which occurred in the build-up.

On Monday, New Zealand staff members noticed a drone flying over their training base in Saint-Etienne and notified police. The police were then able to trace the operator of this drone back to Joseph Lombardi, described as an "unaccredited analyst" for the Canadian team.

Lombardi is a listed member of the Canadian staff, however, and the Canadian Olympic Committee later confirmed he had been using the drone to film New Zealand's training session.

Fallout from Canada drone controversy

While there was never any doubt as to whether Thursday's game would go ahead, Canada are now being led by assistant Andy Spence after head coach Bev Priestman voluntarily stepped down in the wake of the controversy.

"I am ultimately responsible for conduct in our program,” Priestman said. “Accordingly, to emphasise our team's commitment to integrity, I have decided to voluntarily withdraw from coaching the match on Thursday. In the spirit of accountability, I do this with the interests of both teams in mind and to ensure everyone feels that the sportsmanship of this game is upheld."

Priestman, along with Lombardi and Jasmine Mander - Lombardi's boss, essentially - have since all been sent home with the Canada head coach suspended.

37-year-old Englishwoman Priestman had guided Canada to gold at Tokyo 2020 having previously worked as an assistant for the Lionesses.

Will Canada still be awarded the win for beating New Zealand?

Canada were victorious over the Ferns in Group A on Thursday, but there's a chance the defending champions are stripped of their three points.

CEO of the Canadian Olympic Committee David Shoemaker said that New Zealand asked FIFA beforehand not to award the Canadians any points for Thursday's game. However, it's unknown as to whether FIFA are considering such a sanction with their investigation ongoing.

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