Rio 2016: Euro IOC chief arrested in illegal sales of tickets

Police said in a statement that Hickey, 71, head of the European Olympic Committees as well as the Irish national committee, was detained at a Rio hotel.

According to Brazilian media, Hickey tried to escape during the operation. The reports said he fell ill during his arrest and was taken to hospital. City police acted to "carry out an arrest warrant and search warrant against Patrick Joseph Hickey, from Ireland, a member of the International Olympic Committee," police said in a statement.

Hickey has been a member of the IOC executive board since 2012. Rio police said they had confiscated about 1,000 tickets that were being sold far above face value, mostly for popular events like the opening ceremony.

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