The OCI said Hickey had complied fully with the terms of a police warrant and would continue to co-operate with any ongoing inquiries.
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International Olympic Committee officials condemned Rio police for allowing a TV crew to accompany them as a naked Hickey was arrested in a hotel room.
Arrested Olympic official Pat Hickey has been released from hospital to be questioned at a Rio police station.
The police investigation centres on the sale of more than 800 tickets to the games, including more than 20 which Brazilian police said were intended for use by Ireland’s Olympics officials.
The Olympic Council of Ireland told The Associated Press that a member of its Rio Games delegation was allowed to go to Hickey’s bedside to be informed of his decision to step aside temporarily from his IOC duties.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) executive Patrick Hickey has been sent to Brazil’s Bangu maximum security prison on Friday while police investigate his involvement in a plot to illegally resell Olympic tickets, civil police said.
The tickets were registered to the OCI.
Hickey has denied any wrongdoing.
Tickets with a face value of about $1,000 dollars were sold for more than $8,000.
It has been suggested that Hickey’s arrest is linked to that of sports executive Kevin James Mallon, also an Irishman, on the afternoon leading up to the Olympic opening ceremony at the Maracanã Stadium on 5 August.
Pat Hickey had strongly dismissed the notion that the OCI would cooperate with a Government inquiry when he met with Minister for Sport, Shane Ross, last week but Hickey’s subsequent arrest has changed the direction of the OCI’s stance.
He was taken to a hospital as a precaution due to chest pain and remained their overnight before being discharged today.
Mr Ross also said he was “stonewalled” and “absolutely shattered” by Mr Hickey’s previous refusal to appoint an independent member to the inquiry.
One of the executives wanted is Marcus Evans, who owns Marcus Evans Group, the parent company for THG Sports and the owner of English soccer club Ipswich Town.
“PRO10 is appalled that allegations are being made against the company without any attempt to ascertain the facts”, the Dublin-based company said.
“While THG respects the Brazilian police process, which clearly is different to that in the United Kingdom or Ireland, THG believes that a full and proper judicial assessment can not be achieved without consideration of, and access to, all the THG compliance documentation which THG has followed in the provision of hospitality packages in Rio”.
Ticket touting is illegal in Brazil and police and prosecutors have been cracking down on the practice since the country has hosted the globe’s two biggest sporting events, the 2014 World Cup and now the Olympics. Some of the tickets had the Olympic Council of Ireland name on them.
Hickey has yet to make any comment.
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Mallon is a director of the company.
