Sensation in Rio de Janeiro. On the 13th day of the Games, the Olympic atmosphere was shaken by an affair which the IOC would have done well without: Patrick Hickey (our photo), one of the members of its executive board, president of the Association of European Olympic Committees (EOC), was arrested by Brazilian police at his hotel. He is accused of belonging to a network for the illegal sale of tickets for the 2016 Olympic Games. A case which questions the integrity of certain members of the IOC.
The police clarified in a press release: “A warrant for the arrest and capture of Irishman Patrick Joseph Hickey” has been issued. She announced last Monday that she had issued four arrest warrants, against the Briton Marcus Evans, president of the Ipswich football club (2nd English division), the Irishman Patrick Gilmore, the Dutchman Maarten Van Os and the Englishman Martin Studd . Patrick Hickey, 71, was added to the list. He allegedly facilitated the “leak” of tickets from the Irish Olympic Committee to UK resellers.
According to the daily website Globe, the Irish leader reportedly felt unwell during his arrest, carried out by a police brigade shortly after 7 a.m. Wednesday morning. He was taken to Samaritano Hospital, in Barra da Tijuca. The Irish Olympic Committee said in a statement that Patrick Hickey would remain there for 24 hours under observation, “due to his cardiac history. »
Ricardo Barbosa, the Brazilian police investigator, explained during a press conference this Wednesday that the police had gone to Patrick Hickey's room. He wasn't there, despite the early hour. His wife, the only one present at the scene, said she did not know where her husband was. But the police found his accreditation, his shoes and his bag on site. Patrick Hickey was discovered minutes later in his son's bedroom.
Patrick Hickey and the four other “suspects” are accused of selling tickets for the Rio Games at a very high price, after obtaining them illegally from official resellers approved by the Irish Olympic Committee. An organization of which Patrick Hickey has been president since 1989.
Last week, Brazilian police announced the arrest of an Irishman, Kevin James Mallon, and around ten Brazilians involved in ticket trafficking. Kevin James Mallon is a director of the British company THG. The police reportedly seized 781 tickets, “resold at very high prices”. For the opening ceremony, Friday August 5, a ticket was offered at $8, approximately 000 euros, while the highest official price was $7200 (1.300 euros). According to the Brazilian police, this lucrative traffic would have brought in around 1.200 million dollars.
“We are currently trying to establish the facts,” reacted the IOC in a press release. Mark Adams, the IOC spokesperson, explained that the Olympic organization would “cooperate fully with the investigation, if there is one.” He also assured that he did not know the nature of the charges against Patrick Hickey.
The Irish Olympic Committee announced, in a press release published during the day on Wednesday, that Patrick Hickey had decided to put his various functions on hold during the investigation. He temporarily abandons his role as member of the IOC, but also as president of the EOC and vice-president of the ANOC.
