Olympic official Patrick Hickey steps down amid tickets row

The Irishman, 71, was taken to hospital following his arrest, after requesting medical attention.

Brazilian police claim he was involved in a scheme to resell Olympic tickets at higher than their face value.

They said the scheme could have had profits of 10m reals (£2.4m; $3.1m).

Mr Hickey will be replaced as president of the European Olympic Committees - the body which brings together the 50 national committees across the continent - by his deputy Janez Kocijancic.

The Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) said in a statement that Mr Hickey was stepping aside "until this matter is fully resolved" and would continue to co-operate and assist with all enquiries.

Acting OCI President William O'Brien said the council would "defend ourselves to the hilt" after the arrest of Mr Hickey.

Mr Hickey, a former judoka, has been a member of the 15-strong executive board of the International Olympic Committee since 2012, making him a prime mover in the world of international sports.

Who is Patrick Hickey?

Brazilian police said that when officers went to Mr Hickey's hotel room on Wednesday morning, they found his wife there with his Olympic credentials.
Mrs Hickey told them her husband had left Rio de Janeiro for Ireland at the weekend, they said.

"We noticed that there was another room in the hotel under his son's name, so we went to that room and we found Hickey by himself," Detective Ronaldo Oliveira told a press conference.

"There wasn't much in that room, not even any of his clothes. He was in his bathrobe."

Speaking later on Wednesday in Rio de Janeiro, Mr O'Brien said: "His medical condition has been checked. He is stable at the moment and it will be monitored over the next 24 hours."

Source: BBC