Ireland Olympic Council President Pat Hickey "temporarily stepped down from his position" as an IOC Exec Board member "after his arrest in connection with a probe into ticket touting at the Rio Games" (REUTERS, 8/17). Police said that Hickey "tried to escape when they came for him." They said that he "slid his Olympic pass under the door when police came knocking and fled into the adjacent hotel room, where his son has been staying until recently." Brazilian media believe that Hickey's arrest "is related to that of fellow Irishman Kevin James Mallon" on the day of the Opening Ceremony. Mallon "is the director of THG Sports, a sports hospitality company alleged to have resold tickets for Rio 2016 illegally" (BBC, 8/17). IOC Dir of Communications Mark Adams said that the allegations "centered on 1,000 tickets belonging to the Irish national Olympic committee" (AP, 8/17). Brazilian authorities said that Dublin-based Pro10 Sports Management, an authorized ticket reseller for the Rio Games, was "allegedly receiving the Olympics tickets, then transferring them" to THG Sports, which was "responsible for selling the seats in Brazil at huge markups" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8/18).
SPEAK YOUR MIND: U.S. hurdler Kristi Castlin yesterday after winning the Bronze Medal in the women's 100-meter hurdles spoke out "about gun violence." Castlin's father was "murdered when she was 12," and she also attended Virginia Tech at the time of the '07 massacre "that killed nearly three dozen people." Castlin said, "I've been around a lot of gun violence in my life. Not just Americans, but all over the world, we're always touched by gun violence, always touched by tragedy. It feels good to be an example, not just for Americans but families all over the world" (AP, 8/18).
SURF BORT: U.S. hurdler Kerron Clement, who this morning claimed Gold in the men's 400 meters, is "not like most track stars," as he has "appeared in a Beyonce music video." Clement in '11 accompanied a dancer friend "to the set of the 'Run The World (Girls)' video" in L.A. He was there "solely to support to his friend," but Beyonce "walked into the room and started pointing at a select number of guys," one of which was Clement. He "received only about six seconds of screen time" in the video (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 8/17).
MAY WE DANCE WITH YOUR DATES? The Omega House has been the "center of the swirl in Rio for 10 days running, hosting a who's who of Hollywood, sports and fashion figures," including actor Eddie Redmayne and Brazilian model Alessandra Ambrosio. The party pad is "located in the historic Casa de Cultura Alvim building and overlooks Ipanema Beach." Formerly a private home, it was "donated to the city of Rio" by Brazilian artist Laura Alvim in the '80s, and "turned into a cultural center" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 8/17).
