Fianna Fáil Calls For Independent Investigation Into Olympic Ticket Controversy

Fianna Fáil has called for an independent investigation to be launched into the Olympic ticket controversy following the arrest of Pat Hickey.

Making the call Fianna Fáil Vice President Timmy Dooley said: "The arrest of the President of the Olympic Council of Ireland is a seriously worrying development. It points to the possibility of major impropriety regarding the distribution of Olympic tickets that were allocated to Ireland.

"The OCI have until now insisted that no independent person be involved in its investigation into this scandal. This position is simply no longer tenable. The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Shane Ross must now move to launch an overarching independent investigation.

"It is important to acknowledge that OCI is in receipt of state funding. The public deserves answers as to how the OCI operates, and how tickets allocated to Ireland were handled. The Governance of OCI must be part of this independent investigation to ensure that public trust in the organisation can be restored."

(MH/CD)