Top European Olympic official arrested in Rio

LONDON

Brazilian police have arrested the head of the European Olympic Committees in an operation against illegal ticket sales at the Rio de Janeiro games.

Patrick Hickey, who is also president of the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI), was arrested at his hotel in the Brazilian city early Wednesday morning.

It came after police seized around a thousand Olympics tickets at another Rio hotel, some of which were reported to be part of the Irish allocation.

Irish broadcaster RTE reported Hickey became unwell after his arrest and was taken to a hospital in the city’s Barra neighborhood.

Brazilian police have issued warrants for the arrest of three directors of Pro 10, the authorized Irish reseller of Olympic Games tickets.

Evidence of emails and messages on Hickey’s phone were being investigated, RTE added.

The OCI said in a statement it was “aware of the media stories regarding Pat Hickey and we are seeking total clarity on the situation before we comment further”.