Irish Olympic Chief Arrested In Brazil Over Alleged Ticket Touting

Patrick Hickey, President of the Olympic Council of Ireland, who police in Brazil have confirmed has been arrested as part of an investigation into alleged ticket touting at the Rio games.

The head of the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI), Patrick Hickey, has been arrested in Brazil as part of an investigation into the alleged illegal sale of tickets for the Rio games.

Press Association report continues:

The city's Civil Police confirmed officers had detained the sports chief more than a week on from the arrest of another Irish man in connection with the same inquiry.

It is understood Mr Hickey was arrested in a hotel in the Barra da Tijuca neighbourhood and there were unconfirmed reports that he was taken to hospital after complaining of feeling unwell.

Irish man Kevin Mallon, a director of THG Sports, which specializes in corporate and sports hospitality, has been in custody in Brazil since August 5 over the affair.

Mallon was arrested after police seized about 1,000 tickets for the Olympics in a Rio hotel, some of which were part of the Irish allocation.

PRO10, the OCI's authorized ticket reseller for the games, said it had legitimate customers for its tickets and Mallon was acting as a collection agent for them in Rio, meeting clients.

THG and PRO10 have denied any wrongdoing over ticket sales.

Mr Hickey had previously denied any wrongdoing in the OCI's role in securing or using an authorized ticket reseller for the games.

Irish consular officials in Brazil were aware of Mr Hickey's arrest.

A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin said: "We are aware of a case and stand ready to provide consular assistance if requested."

A spokesman for the OCI said he was aware of the reports in Brazilian media and awaiting official confirmation.

"We are still trying to get some clarity on the situation. When we do that we will release a statement through our normal channels," he said.

Shane Ross, Ireland's Sports Minister, flew into Rio on Sunday and had showdown talks with Mr Hickey about the ticketing affair.

After the meeting, Mr Ross said he was stunned by the OCI's attitude and its refusal to allow an independent figure on the internal inquiry which is probing the sale of tickets allocated to Ireland.

Rio Olympics-Brazilian Police Arrest Irish IOC Member In Touting Probe

Brazilian police arrested a member of the IOC's executive board, Ireland's Patrick Hickey, in his hotel in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday in connection with an investigation into ticket touting at the Olympics, a spokesman said.

Police said in a statement they had discovered evidence linking Hickey, who heads the European Olympic Committee that includes all the national committees on the continent, to an international scheme to illegally pass Olympic tickets to touts who were reselling them at well above their original price.

Brazilian media reported that Hickey was detained at his son's room in the hotel and was taken to hospital after his arrest.

The Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) said in a statement it was aware of media reports of Hickey's arrest and was seeking clarity on the situation before commenting.

An International Olympic Committee source told Reuters the organization was also still establishing the facts in the case.

Hickey did not respond to calls for comment.

He was a member of the IOC's coordination commission for the Rio Games, the body in charge of overseeing preparations for the first Olympics held in South America.

His arrest comes after police detained last week a director of international sports hospitality company THG Sports, Kevin Mallon, and a translator employed by the company, alleging that they could have made 10 million reais (US$3 million) from buying tickets and reselling them at a higher price.

A Brazilian judge on Monday also ordered the arrest of four more THG Sports executives on accusations of fraudulent ticket sales at the Olympics. A police spokesman, however, said the four men could not be detained because they were not in Brazil.

THG has rejected the accusations against the company and Mallon, saying that more than 1,000 tickets seized by police were being held legally on behalf of authorized Irish reseller Pro 10 and criticizing local Olympic organizers.

Hickey, a white-haired sports administrator, is a former judoka and is honorary life president of the Irish Judo Federation. He has been head of the OCI since 1989.

Hickey is also a senior vice president of the Association of National Olympic Committees.