New Zealand defender Rebekah Stott has revealed she was the player who first raised concerns that her team was being spied upon by someone using a drone at their Olympic Games training ground.
“We were just doing throw-ins or something like that and I was just kind of waiting for Ali Riley to throw me the ball,” Stott told The Women’s Game host Samantha Mewis.
“Then I hear this noise, and I’m a bit of a drone enthusiast. I have one myself.
“So I hear this noise … Oh my gosh, is that a mavic pro?
“I look up to my left, and sure enough, there’s a fricking drone there.
“I was like what? Then I turned to our coach and I was like there’s a drone. He was like, ‘what?’. He went off and talked to our manager to get security.”
Stott’s keen eye, and her knowledge of drones, helped the French authorities track down the errant drone, and catch its operator.
The incident led to three members of the Canada coaching staff being banned from all forms of football for 12 months, a six-point deduction for Canada’s Olympic campaign and the launch of an investigation into Canda’s use of drones prior to the Games.
READ MORE: Banned coach Bev Priestman: ‘I am absolutely heartbroken for the players’ >>>>
READ MORE: Bans, a fine and six points docked as Canada pay price for using drones >>>>
In her 12-minute interview with The Women’s Game, Stott shares her views on the sanctions.
Watch Rebekah Stott’s interview
This story was first published on August 7, 2024.
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