Police Detain Director of Irish Olympic Committee for Illegal Ticket Sales
Irishman Patrick Hickey was arrested this Wednesday morning (17) by the Rio Police force for illegal sales of Olympic tickets. The 71-year old President of the Irish Olympic Committee denied, in a meeting with the Brazilian authorities this weekend, any involvement in the sales scandal.
Hickey is also one of the 15 members of the Executive Commission of the IOC (International Olympic Committee), elected every four years. These select members are charged with managing the governing body and shaping the committee's Olympic agenda.
The Irishman is suspected of market ambushing and masterminding an Olympic ticket black market set up.
"International sports hospitality company THG offered a deal that included tickets to Olympic events. Except that the prices of their packages were 30 times the face value of the tickets," said Ricardo Barboso of the Rio Civil Police.
After being arrested by the police at 6 a.m. on Wednesday morning, Hickey was taken ill and had to go to hospital.
The Irishman was apprehended by the police in the hotel in which he was staying with his wife, in the Barra da Tijuca, in the West of Rio. When the police arrived at his bedroom, they entered to find that Hickey was nowhere in sight.
After a search warrant was issued, agents discovered clothes and documents belonging to the IOC member. In reception, the investigators found out that Parick Hickey was in another room in the hotel, in nothing but his underwear. The police suspect that Hickey knew he was being investigated.
As soon as he is released from hospital, Hickey will make a statement to the police and then be detained in the Rio penitentiary system. His imprisonment is temporary.
THG did not have authorisation to sell Olympic tickets, but the company deny any irregularities in their actions.
The police are still looking for other executives of THG and the Irish Committee. The Federal Police has been told to arrest anyone suspected of involvement in the scheme should they still be in the country.
In a statement, the IOC said that they were still weighing up the situation and its consequences. The Irish Olympic Committee said that "it is aware of the incident involving Pat Hickey", and declared that "it was waiting for total clarification of the affair before it would make any further comment."
Translated by GILLIAN SOPHIE HARRIS