Ex-Olympic boss Hickey steps down from IOC
FORMER Olympic Council of Ireland president Pat Hickey has formally resigned from the International Olympic Committee’s executive board.
Mr Hickey, 72, was arrested on August 17 last year and held for almost five months in Brazil after becoming embroiled in a ticket-selling controversy at last year’s Rio Games.
In a statement issued by the IOC to their Twitter account yesterday, they confirmed that Mr Hickey will resign with ‘immediate effect’.
‘Patrick Hickey has informed the IOC of his resignation as a member of the IOC Executive Board with immediate effect.
‘In his resignation letter, Mr Hickey emphasised that he wants to protect the IOC and to ensure that the interests of the National Olympic Committees are represented on the Executive Board.
‘He also reiterated his innocence in respect of all charges and confirmed that he hopes to exercise his functions as an IOC member in the future.’
The IOC confirmed that Mr Hickey’s successor will be appointed during the forthcoming IOC session in Lima.
They stated that while Mr Hickey’s self-suspension from all other IOC functions will remain, ‘the IOC reiterates that the presumption of innocence prevails’.
Mr Hickey is due to go on trial in Rio de Janeiro this November.
The criminal case, in which Mr Hickey faces allegations of involvement in a ticket-touting scandal ahead of the Rio Games, has been set for November 29 by Judge Guilherme Schilling Duarte.
The Olympic boss has strongly protested his innocence throughout the investigation, which has attracted worldwide attention.
He was first arrested in relation to the scandal in August last year. Pictures of his arrest in his hotel room in a dressing gown went around the world and he spent almost two weeks in a prison in Bangu and several months in Rio de Janeiro before being allowed return to Ireland.
It was reported last week that court documents lodged recently show he and Dubliner Kevin Mallon have both again proclaimed their innocence.
Mr Hickey is accused of ticket touting, running a cartel and illicit marketing. And it was reported last week by RTÉ that it had been indicated Mr Hickey may seek to ‘testify by video-link, at the discretion of the judge’.
The Irish Daily Mail recently reported that the former Olympics Ireland chief will not be compelled to appear before the Oireachtas Sports Committee to answer questions on a report by Judge Carroll Moran into the ticketing allegations.
He had been invited to appear but the committee received legal advice which outlined that he would have a strong defence for not doing so as he is facing charges in Brazil.