Ireland’s Minister of Sport said that an inquiry into the ticket scandal involving his country’s Olympic committee should report back within 12 weeks.
Shane Ross announced the launch of an investigation examining the legalities surrounding the issue following a one-hour meeting with Attorney General Maire Whelan.
The inquiry comes after the president of the Olympic Committee of Ireland (OCI) was arrested last week over his alleged role in the illegal reselling of Olympic Games tickets in Brazil. Hickey has been formally accused under Brazilian law of ticket touting, running a cartel and illicit marketing, and is being detained in a maximum security prison in Rio de Janeiro.
Three other senior OCI officials have also now been accused of illegally selling Olympic tickets and barred from leaving Brazil. Ireland team leader Kevin Kilty, chief executive Stephen Martin and secretary general Dermot Henihan have had their passports, phones and laptops seized by the country’s police.
The OCI has said it will co-operate fully with the inquiry, which will be chaired by a retired judge who is set to be appointed this week.
Ticket agencies THG Sports and PRO 10, which have each been linked to the scandal, also said that they will co-operate with the inquiry.
Ross said: “The objective of the meeting was to make a decision on the options available to us to inquire into events relating to ticketing at the Rio Olympic Games.
“We believe that a judge-led non-statutory inquiry is the most appropriate mechanism to establish the facts.
“We intend to appoint the judge next week and that the terms of reference for the inquiry will be finalised shortly after.”
In response, the OCI has set up a three-person crisis management subcommittee to lead the Council’s response to the recent events in Rio. The group will be comprised of Sarah Keane (Swim Ireland), Prof Ciaran O’Cathain (Athletics Ireland) and Robert Norwood (Snowsports Association of Ireland).
The OCI added in a statement: “The subcommittee will appoint an international accountancy firm to conduct an independent review of ticketing arrangements in Rio. The firm will be selected this week and its work will begin immediately and its terms of reference will be published.”
Meanwhile, an Irish MEP has called for the country’s government to legislate against ticket touting.
Brian Hayes said: “We know that every time there is a major concert in town and people complain about the way in which they’ve had to pay way over the price for these tickets, there’s no legal format through which the actual police can take this issue seriously – on an organisational level, not a one-on-one level.”
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