Brazilian police said they wanted to question the president of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, about a ticket-touting case on Thursday, a day after he surprisingly failed to show up for the opening ceremony of the Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Despite six years of preparation for the high-profile event at the Maracanã, the IOC chief cancelled his trip to Brazil, choosing instead to attend a memorial for the former West German president Walter Scheel. It was unclear if he would attend other events at the Paralympics, which run until 18 September.
Investigators in Rio said they had planned to ask Bach about his relationship with Patrick Hickey, the head of the Olympic Committee for Ireland, who was detained in August and faces charges of ticket scalping, conspiracy and ambush marketing.
Bach is not under suspicion but police want to hear why Ireland’s allocation of summer Games tickets was raised after an exchange between the two men. Detective Aloysio Falcao told local media he found a July 2015 text from Hickey to Bach requesting more seats for the most popular events, including the opening and closing ceremonies, and the finals of the football, basketball and 100-metre sprint. In the wake of this message Ireland were reportedly allotted an extra 296 seats.
Hickey, who is also head of the European Olympic Committees and a key Bach ally, was arrested at the Olympic Family Hotel in Rio’s Barra da Tijuca during the Games, following a round-up alleged touts who were found in possession of several hundred tickets issued through the Olympic Council of Ireland.
Police allege Hickey plotted with others to transfer tickets illegally from a sports company called Pro 10 to London-based hospitality provider THG Sports, which was a non-authorised vendor and allegedly sold them for very high fees. Police investigators said the scheme was planned to bring in $3m. They have also arrested the local representative of THG Sports, Kevin James Mallon.
Hickey has denied wrongdoing and stepped down on a “temporary basis” from the IOC role he has held since 2005. The 71-year-old was initially imprisoned in a high-security facility in Bangu but has subsequently been released with his passport seized. He is forbidden to leave Brazil until the case is concluded and was called in for further questions about Bach and other issues on Tuesday, but reportedly cited his right to remain silent.
Police said the local Rio 2016 organising committee had cooperated in the investigation but lamented that nobody from the IOC had come forward to give the international organisation’s side of the story.
“We are interested to hear the president of the IOC since he was quoted in messages,” the special police director general Ronaldo Oliveira, told the UOL news website. “If we do not hear from him here in Brazil we can send a letter to request that he testify abroad.”
Ricardo Barbosa, director of the civil police’s major event support centre, said: “An IOC member was arrested, indicted accused by the prosecution. It would be good if someone from the IOC came here to give some explanations.”
The IOC promised to cooperate on Wednesday but it was unclear what arrangements had been made between its officials and the Brazilian authorities.
