Former Olympic Council of Ireland President Patrick Hickey has said that he "intends to fight the charges laid against him in a Brazilian court in relation to alleged ticket touting during the Olympic Games in Rio," according to Tom Hennigan of the IRISH TIMES. Hickey -- who has "temporarily stepped aside" as OCI president -- said that he had "just received formal notification from the Brazilian authorities of the charges laid against him." Hickey: "For clarity, I am not under house arrest as, like with so many things with this case, has been misreported by the media. I intend to face all the charges and to fight each and every one of them." Hickey, THG Sports Dir Kevin Mallon and eight others "have been charged with a number of crimes surrounding alleged ticket touting and now face trial." Hickey said that he is "completely innocent" of the charges and will be "vigorously defending my good name and character that I have spent my lifetime building through voluntary service for numerous sporting bodies." He said, "This has been a life-changing experience for me, my wife, my four children and my five grandchildren and my priority is to recover my health and see my family as soon as possible." He added that he has been "very heartened and humbled" by the "outpouring of support, letters, texts and emails from the thousands of people in Ireland and from the international sporting world" (IRISH TIMES, 9/11).
