Police said Patrick Hickey is accused of plotting with at least six others to illegally sell tickets for the Olympics.
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Local media reported that Mr Hickey, who also heads the European Olympic Committee (EOC), was detained at the hotel Windsor Marapendi near the Olympic Park and was rushed to hospital after his arrest.
Hickey’s alleged involvement was through Ireland’s Olympic committee, which police said helped transfer tickets to an unauthorized vendor who would set high fees and disguise the transaction as a hospitality package.
The arrest – with echoes of a police raid on a Federation Internationale de Football Association hotel in Zurich past year in which seven officials were held on corruption charges – will come as a blow to the International Olympic Committee which has made anti-corruption efforts a priority since a bribery scandal around the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.
According to sources, he slid his Olympic pass under the door and ran to the next hotel room where his son was staying.
Later in the morning, Hickey was charged with ticket touting, forming a cartel and illicit marketing. He remained in the hospital under police custody.
After being arrested in Brazil, Olympic Council of Ireland president Patrick Hickey has stood aside temporarily from his official roles.
Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) President Pat Hickey has been arrested this morning, as part of the ongoing investigation into the irregular sale of tickets, writes Daniel McConnell. The controversy broke nearly 10 days ago when another Irishman, Kevin Mallon of the THG group, was arrested in possession of nearly 800 tickets.
Mallon was arrested after police seized tickets for the Olympics in a Rio hotel, some of which were part of the Irish allocation.
It said that Pro 10, the Authorised Ticket Reseller (ATR) of the Olympic tickets, also said that the tickets held by Mr Mallon were “held for collection by Pro 10 clients in Rio”.
In an interview with Irish broadcaster RTE last week, Mr Hickey denied any wrongdoing in relation to Olympic ticket sales.
Irish consular officials in Brazil were aware of his arrest.
“We don’t know what the allegations or charges are yet”, he said.
After the meeting, Mr Ross said he was stunned by the OCI’s attitude and its refusal to allow an independent figure on the internal inquiry which is probing the sale of tickets allocated to Ireland.
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He has since cut short his trip to the Games to hold crisis talks with Ireland’s Attorney General.
