Tag Archives: Olympics

pathickeyoci

Pat Hickey, President of the Olympic Council of Ireland and a OCI statement this afternoon on the Rio ticket brouhaha.

“What I can tell you very clearly is that there is no impropriety whatsoever from anyone in the OCI or myself in the dealing of tickets and I want to reassure you on that 100%,” Pat Hickey said.

He fully expects that the OCI will come out of this with a clean bill of health.

“I would of course be very sorry for any embarrassment caused to Ireland in this issue. I intend to rectify it as soon as I can,” he added.

The OCI president said he had no advance knowledge of the controversy and found out about it from the media….

No impropriety in OCI regarding tickets – Hickey (RTÉ)

Updated Statement from OCI Re. Ticketing Issues – Thursday 11 August 2016 (OCI)

Previously: The Golden Tickets

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hickey
mallon

From top: Rio 2016 Closing Ceremony ticket; Irish Olympic chief Pat Hickey and ID for Kevin Mallon

Irishman Kevin James Mallon, one of the heads at hospitality provider THG Sports, was arrested with tickets for the Rio Games..

Mallon is accused of conspiracy and helping sell tickets illegally.

The then-CEO of the same company, James Sinton, was arrested in 2014 as part of the investigation into the alleged World Cup ticket scam, police said.

Stephen Hickey, the son of OCI president Pat Hickey, worked as a manager for THG Sports during the 2012 games. There is no suggestion that the Hickeys are involved in this current investigation.

Meanwhile…

THG Sports chief executive James Sinton was arrested during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and accused by police of heading up a “ticketing mafia”. He was later freed after paying a fine and left the country.

In 2012, former footballer Romário, now a Brazilian senator, accused Pat Hickey of being involved in ticket touting for the 2012 Summer Games and the 2014 Winter Games. He said Pat Hickey was the link between the IOC and firms selling tickets on the black market. Pat Hickey dismissed the accusations.

Face of Irish executive arrested over alleged sale of €3m official tickets at Rio Olympics (Independent.ie)

Inquiry into alleged sale of Irish tickets for Olympics (Irish Times)

‘Immediate investigation’ into alleged fraudulent selling of Irish tickets (RTÉ)

Previously: OCI Appoint Ticketing Agency For 2012 Games (OC!)

Pics: AFP

boxing-rio-olympics-2016-format-qualifying-criteria-medalists

Sources in Rio have revealed that the boxer was tested in recent days and a banned substance is believed to have shown up in the sample.

Officially, no confirmation of the alleged positive sample has been given by Sport Ireland or the Olympic Council of Ireland.

It is understood that the boxer was subjected to a domestic test in Ireland before travelling to Rio, but news of the positive sample only emerged earlier today.

…the boxer faces the possibility of being banned from competing in the games which are due to commence tomorrow.

UPDATE: Irish boxer fails drug test on eve of Rio Olympics, reports (Daniel McConnell, Irish Examiner)

Meanwhile…

Irish boxing team captain Paddy Barnes, who will carry the Irish flag at tomorrow’s opening ceremony, intervenes.

More as we get it.

Update:

Michael O’Reilly?

Screen Shot 2016-08-03 at 13.45.34

Olympic gold medallists Bob Tisdall and Ronnie Delany in 1988

Lovely to see Olympic coverage in the paper. Eileen Battersby lists “10 names forever etched in Olympic lore”, including the great Ronnie Delany who she says won “Ireland’s first, and to date, only gold medal on the track”.

However, 24 years earlier, on August 1st, 1932 in Los Angeles, in arguably the finest hour of Irish sport, Ireland won two track and field gold medals within 60 minutes.

Bob Tisdall on the track won the 400m hurdles followed by Dr Pat O’Callaghan winning his second gold in the hammer.

Simon O’Callaghan,
Islington,
London.

Irish Olympic track gold (Irish Times letters page)

Pic: Irish Newspaper Archive (Irish Press)