COC CEO David Shoemaker: Soccer scandal could ‘tarnish’ Canada’s Olympic gold

Canadian Olympic Committee CEO David Shoemaker says he’s horrified about the news that the country’s women’s soccer team may have tried to spy on opponents’ practices during its run to the 2021 Tokyo gold medal.

“Yes, there now appears to be information that could tarnish that Olympic performance in Tokyo,” Shoemaker said at a press conference Friday at the Paris Olympics, per Devin Heroux of CBC Olympics.

“It makes me ill, it makes me sick to my stomach to think there could be something that calls into question what I’m sure so many of you have heard me say over the course of the last three years (was) one of my favourite Olympic moments in history, that women’s team winning that gold medal against all odds in those COVID restrictions. I said to you two nights ago I thought it was very unlikely (there was any spying in Tokyo) given the COVID restrictions.”

The COC’s traditional pre-opening ceremony press conference was filled with questions about the women’s soccer team, which suspended head coach Bev Priestman for the balance of the Games late Thursday as the fallout from the squad’s spying scandal continues.

When asked if he felt the team could continue to play at the Olympics, Shoemaker said: “Yes, I’m comfortable with the team competing as it is.”

Assistant coach Andy Spence was named as the replacement head coach on Wednesday.

Kevin Blue, the recently hired CEO of Canada Soccer, said in a statement Thursday that “additional information” about spying against opponents that predates the Paris Games led to the decision to suspend Priestman.

Early Thursday evening, TSN’s Rick Westhead reported that the Canadian men’s and women’s national teams “have been engaged for years in efforts to film the closed-door training sessions of their opponents.” According to Westhead’s report, one instance of spying by the women’s team came ahead of a match against Japan at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, a tournament in which Canada won gold.

On Wednesday, the Canadian women’s team sent home analyst Joseph Lombardi and assistant coach Jasmine Mander after it was learned that there were two drone incidents at New Zealand practices. Priestman withdrew from Thursday’s opener against New Zealand, a 2-1 Canada win, before being suspended hours later.

FIFA said Wednesday it has opened an investigation into the matter.

Shoemaker said Friday he now believes Priestman knew about the drones.

“[New information] made me conclude she was highly likely to have been aware of the incidents here,” he said, per Heroux.

Shoemaker said the hope is for Blue to address the media as soon as possible.