Hickey’s arrest follows earlier operations by police against what they say is an worldwide ticket scalping ring.
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Brazilian police said they recovered more than 1,000 tickets, believed to have been earmarked for the OCI, which were being sold for more than face value.
Mr. Hickey faces charges of facilitating ticket touting, forming a cartel and illicit marketing.
“Let’s wait and see what the allegations regarding Mr Hickey are”, International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams told reporters.
Briefly after police arrested the Olympic official at his hotel, he was hospitalized because he was “feeling sick”.
Police on Wednesday said Patrick Hickey, president of Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI), was involved in illegally passing on Olympics tickets to scalpers who subsequently sold them at exorbitant prices.
The police stated that potential profits of the alleged scheme would have been $3.1 million, according to BBC News.
Fellow Irishman James Mallon was arrested the day of the opening ceremony and Hickey’s arrest is related to that.
Pat Hickey with the Olympic torch at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
Who’s who in Irish Olympic tickets controversy?
International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams told reporters in Rio he was unaware of whether Mr Hickey’s decision to temporarily stand down from his roles would impinge upon the per-diem rate of $900 which all executive members receive.
“Continuing our investigation, civil police discovered the involvement of Patrick in the worldwide scheme of ticket scalping”, the Rio police fraud unit said.
Pat Hickey has left hospital in Rio de Janeiro.
“We’ll decide tomorrow as a matter of urgency what sort of inquiry to carry out”, he said.
Mallon, the director of THG Sports, which specialises in corporate and sports hospitality has been in custody in Brazil since 5 August.
Ross said he had no comment to make on whether Hickey had been treated fairly by Brazilian authorities, adding that it would be “irresponsible” for him to do so.
Photos of Hickey in a dressing gown, being apprehended by Rio’s Civil Police, surfaced online a short time later. As head of the European body he was instrumental in setting up the European Games which was first held in Baku, Azerbaijan, last year.
Authorities have also issued warrants for four more executives at the company, THG.
“We don’t know what the allegations or charges are yet”, he said. The company was selling tickets at inflated prices.
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The authorised ticket reseller (ATR) contracted by the OCI is Dublin-based PRO10 Sports Management.
