Hickey replacement elected by Olympic Council of Ireland

Published 09/02/2017 in Sports

Hickey replacement elected by Olympic Council of Ireland
File photo: Former top European member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Patrick Hickey, leaves a police station in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, September 6, 2016. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes

The Olympic Council of Ireland has elected Swim Ireland chief executive Sarah Keane to replace Pat Hickey, who stepped aside after being charged in Brazil over an alleged scheme to sell Rio Games tickets illegally.

Keane said in a statement she was “humbled and privileged” to have been elected after what had been “a very difficult few months for the Olympic movement in Ireland”.

The 71-year-old Hickey, who was also the former head of the European Olympic Committee, was detained during the Rio Games in connection with an investigation into an illegal ticket-scalping ring.

He returned to Ireland in December after the umbrella body representing national Olympic committees paid his 1.5 million reais ($479,248) bail.

Hickey and all those named in the case have denied wrongdoing.

(Reporting by Toby Davis- editing by xxx)

Print article

Leave a Reply

Please complete required fields