Paris Olympics 2024: Canada’s bid to overturn six-point deduction fails

Canada’s six-point deduction in the Paris Olympics 2024 over a spying scandal at the women’s Olympic football has been upheld after an appeal in the Court of Arbitration for Sport failed. The Swiss-based governing body was asked to review the punishment which was handed down by FIFA. It has left Canada, the reigning Olympic champions, in a position of danger of a group-stage exit from the multi-sporting spectacle. 

While the team was docked six points, coach Bev Priestman and officials Joseph Lombardi and Jasmine Mander were banned from participating in any football-related activity for one year by FIFA. New Zealand had complained that the Canadian staff flew drones over their training sessions before their opening clash in the tournament. 

CAS, in an official statement, said, “The application filed by the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canada Soccer in relation to the six-point deduction imposed on the Canadian women’s soccer team for the football tournament at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 has been dismissed.” The statement further read, “The Applicants sought a decision from the CAS Ad hoc Division either cancelling or reducing the points deduction imposed by the FIFA Appeal Committee in its decision of 27 July 2024 after it established that breaches of the FIFA regulations applicable to the Olympic football tournament concerning the prohibition on flying drones over training sites had occurred.”

Earlier, on Monday, Sports Canada said that it was withholding funding allocated salaries of the officials included in the drone scandal while calling it an embarrassment to all Canadians. Notably, Canada won its first two games but is placed third in Group A standings with no points, after a deduction behind Colombia and France. In its next match, Canada will be up against Colombia, and is just one win away from making it to the quarterfinals. 

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