OCI Readies for January Elections

(ATR) A change in leadership could be coming for the Olympic Council of Ireland.

A spokesperson for the OCI told Around the Rings all positions on the eight-person executive board will be up for election. Depending on the outcome, the election "could result in a totally new board."

The OCI has seen numerous committee members resign in the wake of the Rio 2016 ticketing scandal and subsequent inquiry. Vice-President John Delaney resigned his seat on Oct. 26, and chair of the crisis management committee Ciarán Ó Catháin resigned today. Delaney was believed to be in line to assume the presidency of the OCI before his resignation.

Since his arrest in Rio de Janeiro, Patrick Hickey has stepped aside from his role as President of the Olympic Council of Ireland. Hickey remains in Rio, where he is awaiting a decision on whether or not he will receive his passport.

A decision was supposed to be reached on Oct. 31, but a spokesperson for the state prosecutor’s office told ATR that the decision is awaiting analysis from a judge. Olympic officials in Europe and the IOC have called for Hickey’s return to Ireland to receive treatment for the cardiac episode he suffered after being taken into police custody.

As Hickey waits for a trial, OCI says, the Grant Thornton review of Rio 2016 procedures has been postponed until criminal proceedings against Hickey are complete.

The OCI spokesperson told ATR the request was done through Hickey’s Irish-based representation, and comes after lawyers threatened an injunction on the review. The spokesperson added that the OCI continues to "cooperate fully" with the investigation.

"The Executive Committee has decided not to incur the very significant additional cost of defending any such legal proceedings," a statement from the OCI said.

No date has been set for Hickey’s trial in Brazil, where the wheels of justice sometimes turn very slowly. Brazilian investigators originally estimated that Hickey could appear in court in "two to three" months after his arrest. Hickey has been charged with three crimes, ticket touting, forming a cartel and illicit marketing. He could face up to seven years in Brazilian prison if convicted.

Written by Aaron Bauer

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