(ATR) Patrick Hickey resigned his multiple positions in the Olympic movement, following today’s arrest.
A statement from the Olympic Council of Ireland says Hickey is stepping away from his positions "until this matter is fully resolved." Hickey is president of the Olympic Council of Ireland, and is stepping down from his IOC member and Executive Board positions, European Olympic Committees presidency, and Association of National Olympic Committees vice-presidency.
"Mr. Hickey will of course continue to cooperate and assist with all ongoing inquiries," the statement concluded.
Hickey was arrested this morning at the IOC hotel in Rio, and charged by Brazilian police for ticket scalping, forming a cartel and illicit marketing as part of an Olympic ticketing scandal. After his arrest, Hickey fell ill and has been recovering in a Rio hospital.
Hickey is expected to spend the night in the hospital recovering. He also appears to not have lost any of his IOC member privileges including accommodation, hotel, and transportation privileges.
An IOC spokesperson told Around the Rings in a statement that they have been informed of Hickey’s decision to step aside from his roles. The spokesperson added "until this matter is fully resolved, the presumption of innocence prevails," in the case.
Earlier in the day IOC communications director Mark Adams told reporters the IOC ethics commission will wait to review Hickey’s case before any Executive Board actions are taken.
Since the start of the Olympics more than 1,000 scalped tickets have been recovered by Rio police being sold by THG Sports. The company was the authorized ticket re-seller for the OCI during the London 2012 and Sochi 2014 Games, but is not in charge of ticket distribution in Rio. The tickets were being sold at above market price illegally around the city.
Social media reports say the Rio Civil Police said the ticketing scheme profited more than $3 million, from the illegally sold tickets.
Earlier, Kevin James Mallon, the director of sports hospitality company THG Sports, and his interpreter Barbara Carnieri were arrested in Rio for ticket touting.
The OCI has routinely denied its involvement in the ticketing scam and has launched an investigation into how the tickets ended up on the black market.
Written by Aaron Bauer in Rio de Janeiro
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