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Rio Olympics Ticketing Report Published

The report on Mr. Justice Carroll Moran’s inquiry into the Rio Olympics ticketing scandal (the “Report”) was published on Monday 14 August. The inquiry was established following the arrest in Brazil, pursuant to Brazilian ticket sale laws, of Irish nationals Kevin Mallon of THG Sports (THG), a worldwide ticketing company, and Pat Hickey, the President of the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI).

Mr. Justice Moran found that THG remained the de facto Irish authorised ticket reseller for Rio 2016 despite its proposed appointment being rejected by the Rio Olympics Committee due to allegations of unauthorised ticket selling and despite another firm, Pro10, being officially appointed the authorised ticket reseller by the OCI. Mr. Justice Moran found that agreements between the OCI and THG seemed to show more concern for the commercial interests of both parties than for the interests of the athletes, their friends, relatives and supporters.

Mr. Justice Moran noted that his inquiry was limited for two reasons. Firstly, the non-statutory nature of the inquiry prevented parties from being compelled to attend the inquiry or to produce documents. Secondly, a number of key parties, including Mr Hickey, decided not to engage with the inquiry by invoking their right against self-incrimination. 

Contributed by: Craig Sowman

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