VANCOUVER - Female soccer players in Vancouver for an Olympic qualifying tournament had a brush with the city's more sordid side when a young man was gunned down in a high-end hotel hosting members of three teams.
Vancouver police were called to a restaurant at the Sheraton Wall Centre on Tuesday night where a man in his 20s was assassinated down in a "targeted" shooting.
The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football, or CONCACAF, said in a statement that the teams of Cuba, Dominican Republic and the United States were staying in the hotel.
CONCACAF said all team members or officials were unharmed.
"The safety of the teams and officials preparing for the upcoming Women's Olympic Qualifying tournament remains paramount," the statement said.
The man was shot while dining at the hotel's Cafe One restaurant.
The only evidence of the shooting from outside the hotel Wednesday was a cracked window with a noticeable bullet hole through the centre.
Richard Scott, with Soccer Canada, said CONCACAF officials went to the hotel after the shooting to confirm no on was in harm's way.
"I would imagine that probably 99 per cent of the athletes would have been in their rooms at that time," he said in an interview.
U.S. Soccer Federation spokesman Neil Buethe said the American delegation was safe and that none of its members witnessed the shooting.
American goalie Hope Solo tweeted about it: "Saved by our instant yoga session. Was about to walk to Starbucks when all hell broke loose in the lobby of our hotel! Life is precious..."
Police had not identified the victim and had no information on a suspect. It was the city's first homicide of the year.
The eight-team CONCACAF tournament begins Thursday and continues through Jan. 29.
Canada opens against Haiti on Thursday while the U.S. team begins play a day later against the Dominican Republic.
