IOC exec arrested for scalping Rio 2016 tickets, taken to hospital
A senior international Olympic official was taken to a hospital Wednesday after police came to his hotel to arrest him as part of a probe into ticket scalping.
Ireland's Patrick Hickey, a member of the International Olympic Committee's executive board, is accused of plotting with at least six others to illegally sell tickets for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, police said.
''Continuing our investigation, civil police discovered the involvement of Patrick (Hickey) in the international scheme of ticket scalping,'' the Rio police fraud unit said.
IOC spokesman Mark Adams said Hickey was taken to a local hospital by ambulance at about 7:30 a.m.
''We will fully cooperate with the police investigation if there is one,'' Adams said. ''We don't know what the allegations or charges are yet.''
He said the allegations centered on 1,000 tickets belonging to the Irish national Olympic committee, of which Hickey is the president.
''We have full confidence in the system here, and we believe everyone is innocent until proven guilty or any charges filed,'' Adams said. ''Let's wait to see what to see what charges are even made yet.''
Hickey, 71, is also president of the European Olympic Committees, and has served on the IOC executive board since 2012.