The former president of the Olympic Council of Ireland Pat Hickey has declined an invitation to appear before the Oireachtas over the Rio ticketing controversy.
The Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport will discuss the Moran report into alleged ticket touting at the 2016 Olympic Games.
The report released earlier this week by retired Judge Carroll Moran was critical of the manner in which the OCI was governed and warned that accounting procedures at the council were not robust.
Judge Moran also warned that the investigation was hampered by the fact that a number of key witnesses – including Mr Hickey – had failed to cooperate.
In a statement this afternoon, the chair of the committee Deputy Fergus O’Dowd voiced his disappointment that Mr Hickey had refused to appear.
“The lack of co-operation by a number of key participants in the inquiry was very disappointing,” he said.
“It is also regrettable that former OCI president Pat Hickey has declined an invitation to appear before the Committee tomorrow, particularly as clarity is needed on a number of issues raised in the report.
“The Committee will discuss Mr Hickey’s response ahead of its meeting tomorrow.”
Rio arrest
Mr Hickey was arrested by Brazilian police at the games last August as part of an investigation into alleged ticket touting.
He spent two weeks in a Brazilian maximum security prison before being put under house arrest.
He has insisted that he is “totally innocent of all these charges” and claimed that he was “treated in a disgraceful manner” by the Brazilian authorities.
He said he did not engage with the Moran inquiry as he had been advised that it could prejudice his right to a fair trial in Brazil.
He has also accused the committee of breaching his constitutional right to a fair trial and due process by holding hearings into the ticketing controversy.
Moran report
The Sports Minister Shane Ross is attending tomorrow’s hearing alongside officials from his department.
The new OCI president Sarah Keane will also answer questions alongside the council’s chief executive John Treacy and Kieran Mulvey the chair of Sport Ireland.
Deputy O’Dowd said the hearing provides the first opportunity for the Oireachtas to examine the Moran report with “a number of key players.”
“The report which examined policies, procedures, processes and practices adopted by the Olympic Council of Ireland around ticketing for the Olympic Games has highlighted a number of issues which will be of concern to the committee, in particular governance and accountability at the OCI over many years,” he said.
“Accreditation for athletes and coaches and the provision of tickets to Irish athletes, their families and friends by the firm looking after Ireland’s ticket allocation was also inadequate and ineffective and this will be an issue that the Committee will be keen to examine.”
The report found that that the council’s authorised ticket seller for the Rio games, Pro10, was not fit for purpose and was not appointed in a transparent manner.
It suggests that the Pro10 appointment only served to disguise the continuing role of ticket distribution company THG.
THG was rejected as an official ticket partner by the Rio organising committee and has also been refused authorisation for the Olympic Winter Games next year in South Korea.
The OCI is currently getting legal advice after it emerged that it is tied down to a deal with THG until 2026.
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