Canadian sports fans in Paris are using words like “embarrassing” and “disappointing” to describe a drone spying scandal that has rocked Canadian football in the opening days of the Olympics.

Jennifer McComb showed up at Canada House on Sunday wearing a red maple leaf T-shirt. McComb, from Montreal, said the actions of the team management and coaching staff cast a shadow over the opening days of the Games. “The main initial feeling for me was just shame,” he said Sunday outside Canada House in Paris. “It doesn't represent who we are as a country and I found it really unfortunate.”

But she and her friend Tara Mitrovka disagree with the decision by soccer's governing body to strip points from the reigning Olympic women's team, saying it unfairly penalizes athletes for what they see as a coaching and management decision. “I don't think athletes should be punished when they probably didn't know,” Mitrovka said.

McComb agreed and said the sanctions should have been directed at the individuals involved, not the players. But the two women, who are in Paris to support a friend's daughter on the water polo team, said the scandal won't dampen their enthusiasm for Canadian athletes.

FIFA, soccer's governing body, stripped the team of six points, fined Canada Soccer about C$313,000 and banned coach Bev Priestman and two members of her team for one year each.

The disciplinary action came after two assistant coaches were caught using drones to spy on New Zealand training sessions before the teams played their first match last Thursday.

The Canadian Olympic Committee and Canada Soccer have said they plan to appeal the point deduction. Chris Young of St. John's, N.L., said outside Canada House that he believes the spy drone scandal “goes against everything we stand for” as Canadians, adding that “it's a big joke, it makes us look stupid.” Young, who is the biggest swimming fan here, said that won't stop him from cheering on Canadian athletes, especially Summer McIntosh, who won the country's first medal with a silver in the women's 400 freestyle on Saturday.

News of the drone announcement dominated headlines early in the Paris Games, overshadowing the announcement of Canada's opening ceremonies flag bearer and the Olympics' opening news conference. Canadian swimmer Mary-Sophie Harvey, who just won a heat to advance to the semifinals of the women's 200-metre freestyle, said Sunday she was staying in her “bubble” and not really following news outside of her sport. But he added that healthy competition is important for everyone. “It's a little sad what happened, but the only thing we can do is move forward and hope things get better in this situation,” he said.

Back outside Canada House, Calgary's Kerri Berner said her “heart breaks” for the football players who will lose points and risk having their Olympic dreams dashed.

“The truth is it doesn't reflect very well on Canada, on our sports organizations, which is sad,” he said.

Yet she showed up in a red dress and face paint, ready to cheer on Canadian athletes, especially the tennis players. “I'm so proud of all the athletes here and what they're doing, and I think we should be able to cheer them on for that,” she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2024.