Irish Olympic Boss Quiet on Walkout, Hickey

(ATR) Acting OCI president Willie O'Brien is refusing to discuss the circumstances surrounding a reported walkout of OCI executives angered at Pat Hickey’s participation in a meeting.

According to Irish media reports, Football Association of Ireland chief executive John Delaney and several other OCI executives left the executive committee’s meeting on Sept. 6 when Hickey was put on speaker phone to make contact.

In a letter to Around the Rings, O'Brien sheds no light on the stormy meeting. He declined to answer questions put to him about the walkout and whether he or other officials have had any further contact with the former OCI president.

Hickey is currently on bail in Rio, awaiting trial on charges relating to the Rio ticketing scandal which engulfed the OCI, including touting, forming a cartel and illegal marketing. He is staying in an apartment paid for by the OCI.

"As you will appreciate the OCI is currently undergoing an internal and government review of the practices and procedures around the issues relating to the sale and distribution of Olympic tickets and the governance around same and president Hickey is currently the subject of legal procedure in Brazil," O'Brien said in the letter.

The interim OCI chief declined to provide further comment, citing advice from legal advisers.

"The Olympic Council of Ireland is unable to offer comment during the judicial process as such comment might be prejudicial to either or both parties," he added.

He did not respond when asked if the OCI would discuss a procedure to replace Hickey as permanent OCI president at its next board meeting.

Grant Thornton is currently conducting an independent review into the recruitment of PRO10 as the OCI’s authorized ticket reseller for the Rio Games. It is also probing allegations about a connection with hospitality company THG, which was banned by Rio 2016 from selling the OCI’s allocated tickets. The Irish government’s own investigation is being led by Judge Carroll Moran.

On Tuesday, Hickey quit the bid committee behind Ireland’s attempt to secure hosting rights for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

In the wake of his arrest in August, Hickey stepped aside from all of his Olympic functions, including the presidency of the OCI and European Olympic Committees, his IOC membership and vice presidency of the Association of National Olympic Committees.

The EOC general assembly convenes in Minsk, Belarus in two weeks’ time.

Reported by Mark Bisson

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