European Olympic Committee President Arrested for Ticket Touting

Patrick Hickey was arrested by Brazilian police on suspicion of involvement in an illegal 2016 Olympic ticket sales ring.

Hickey, 71, is the president of the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) and the European Olympic Committee. The top leader is accused of involvement in a ring that sold Olympic tickets at inflated prices.

The OIC said Hickey had been temporarily removed from his position following his arrest. Police said he was taken to hospital as a precaution and would likely remain there overnight on August 17.

Patrick Hickey is a senior leader of the International Olympic Committee. Photo: AFP.

Brazilian police said that when investigators went to Hickey's hotel room, they only met his wife, who had all of his Olympic documents, and said that Hickey had left Rio de Janeiro and flown back to Ireland last weekend.

With the hotel’s help, police found Patrick Hickey in the room next door. In a video posted on ESPN Brazil, Hickey opens the door when police arrive at the room while naked. Brazilian police believe the leader is trying to escape.

Police said the arrest was linked to Hickey's compatriot, Kevin James Mallon, who was caught with more than 700 tickets in envelopes that were being prepared for sale. The total loss from the stolen tickets is estimated at $3.1 million. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it would do its best to cooperate with the investigation.

Irish broadcaster RTE said Patrick Hickey faces three charges: facilitating the sale of black market tickets, price fixing and predatory marketing. Last week, in an interview with RTE, Hickey denied any involvement in the touting scandal.

Irish Sports Minister Shane Ross flew to Rio to assess the situation and returned to Dublin to deal with the crisis.

Patrick Hickey is the president of the European Olympic Committee, an organization of 50 National Olympic Committees. He has been president of the Olympic Council of Ireland since 1989. His passport and Olympic number have been revoked.

Hickey's arrest was the most high-profile scandal in the history of police crackdowns on black market ticket sales at the Olympics.

According to VNE