Washington, July 29 (Reporter) The scandal that erupted following the alleged use of a drone by the women's national soccer team to spy on rival teams has caused "significant embarrassment" to Canada and Canadians, Minister of Sports Carla Qualtrough said on Monday. "This issue [the spying scandal] has caused significant distraction and embarrassment for Team Canada and all Canadians here in Paris and at home. It is deeply regrettable. As events continue to unfold on this issue, I encourage Canadians to cheer on all our incredible Olympic athletes," Qualtrough said in a statement. The minister said using a drone to spy on other teams is cheating, and such actions are unfair to Canadian players and opponents and undermine the games’ integrity. Funds relating to suspended Canada Soccer officials will be withheld for the duration of their FIFA sanction, she added. Qualtrough pledged to get to the bottom of the matter and noted that Ottawa would closely monitor the ongoing investigation and its outcomes. Last week, New Zealand’s Olympic Committee filed a complaint with the International Olympic Committee about the use of a drone to spy on its practice field prior to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. French police detained a staffer of the Canadian team on suspicion of flying the drone. This prompted the Canadian Olympic Committee to remove the head coach of the women's national soccer team, Bev Priestman, over the alleged spying incident...////...