Rio 2016: Irish Olympic chief Pat Hickey 'fled to another hotel room' to evade arrest on ticket tout charges
Brazilian police confirmed charges of ticket touting, forming a cartel and illicit marketing
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Your support makes all the difference.The President of the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) has stood down after being arrested in Rio de Janeiro over alleged involvement the illegal reselling of tickets to blue riband Olympic Games events.
Pat Hickey, who was also head of the European Olympic Committees, making him one of the most senior figures in the Olympic movement, was arrested by police early on Wednesday morning at the official International Olympic Committee hotel. He will not be working in any other Olympic capacity while inquiries continue.
Brazilian police confirmed that charges of ticket touting, forming a cartel and illicit marketing had been brought. A spokesperson said he stands accused of plotting with at least six others to illegally sell tickets. Hickey is reported to have ‘slid his Olympic pass under the door’ before fleeing into another hotel room in the host city where his son had previously been staying when police arrived to arrest him.
Like all national Olympic associations, the Olympic Council of Ireland receives an allocation of tickets from the IOC, the sale of which are subject to strict conditions. Abuse of the system has been a common story in many countries at recent games.
An IOC spokesperson confirmed that after his arrest, Mr Hickey had become unwell and was taken to hospital. Official police video shows Mr Hickey being led away wearing only a bath robe. His passport and official Olympic accreditation were taken by police.
Last week, police arrested several individuals with links to a company called THG, who had been appointed by the Olympic Council of Ireland as their official reseller during the 2012 and 2014 Olympics in London and Sochi, before they were replaced by a company called Pro10. During the arrests, more than 1,000 tickets were seized, many bearing the name of the Olympic Council of Ireland. Rio 2016 organisers are instructed to mark all country’s allocations in this way to prevent illegal reselling.
THG is owned by Marcus Evans, who also owns Ipswich Town Football Club. The company’s director, Kevin Mallon, was arrested.
The tickets were for the most popular events, including the opening and closing ceremonies, with police indicating THG likely to make a profit of around £7m.
As President of the European Olympic Committee, Mr Hickey had a key role in setting up last year’s controversial European Games, which were held in Baku, Azerbaijan, amid criticisms of the country’s human rights record.
In a statement, THG said they were “extremely concerned” by the charges.
In light of this morning's developments and his ill health, Mr Hickey has taken the decision to step aside temporarily as president of the OCI and all other Olympic functions until this matter is fully resolved.
“We have made absolutely clear the allegations made against our colleague, Kevin Mallon, and ourselves are entirely without foundation. Pro 10, the Irish authorised ticket reseller [ATR], have also made it absolutely clear the tickets held by Kevin were on behalf of the Irish ATR and were held for collection by Pro 10 clients in Rio. Having tickets on the ground for collection is standard practice for an ATR during Games time.”
The Olympic Council of Ireland said: “The OCI’s investigation into allegations of illegal ticket sales is progressing. We have formally requested the Rio 2016 Organising Committee to pass on immediately all evidence and relevant information from the investigating Brazilian authorities to enable the OCI to advance our inquiries as quickly as possible.
“The OCI strictly adheres to the IOC regulations around ticket allocation, sale and resale. We are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness.
“In light of this morning's developments and his ill health, Mr Hickey has taken the decision to step aside temporarily as president of the OCI and all other Olympic functions (IOC member in Ireland, EOC president, ANOC vice president) until this matter is fully resolved.
“Mr Hickey will of course continue to co-operate and assist with all ongoing inquiries.”
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