The Northern Irishman went into last years event in Mexico without a top-10

RIO DE JANEIRO -- A senior Olympic executive from Ireland was arrested and taken to the hospital Wednesday after police raided his beachfront hotel as part of an investigation into the illegal sale of tickets for the Rio de Janeiro Games.Patrick Hickey, a member of the International Olympic Committees executive board, was accused of plotting with at least nine others to sell tickets above face value in a scheme that authorities say netted about $3 million in profits.At least a half dozen police officers went to the luxury hotel in the upscale Barra da Tijuca neighborhood in the early morning hours to arrest the 71-year-old Hickey, who fell ill and was taken by ambulance to a local hospital.Irelands national Olympic committee -- the Olympic Council of Ireland -- said Hickey was admitted to Samaratino Hospital for investigation of chest pain and was in stable condition.In view of his previous cardiac history he will remain in hospital for a further 24 hours, the Irish committee said in a statement Wednesday night.Hickeys alleged involvement was through Irelands Olympic committee, which police said helped transfer tickets to an unauthorized vendor who would set high fees and disguise the transaction as a hospitality package. Hickey was charged with conspiracy, ticket scalping and ambush marketing and will be detained while the investigation continues.The Olympic Council of Ireland said Hickey decided to step aside temporarily as an IOC member and from all his other Olympic positions until this matter is fully resolved. Hickey is also president of the OCI, head of the European Olympic Committees and vice president of the Association of National Olympic Committees.Mr. Hickey will of course continue to cooperate and assist with all ongoing enquiries, the Irish body said in a statement.The IOC said it respectfully takes note of Hickeys decision to step aside from his Olympic roles.Until then, the presumption of innocence prevails, the committee said in a statement.Police arrived at the IOCs hotel at 6 a.m. and found only Hickeys wife, who refused to tell them where he was. Police, however, found Hickeys Olympic accreditation badge on the floor, along with his shoes, socks and bag. They asked for the hotels help and found him in the adjacent room, registered under his sons name.Images by ESPN Brazil show Hickey answering the door to police and stepping into the bathroom naked. Moments later, he walks out in a white bathrobe.Investigators said Hickey initially was shaken and the hotels doctor recommended his transfer to a nearby hospital for tests because of his age and medical history. He remained in the hospital under police custody.Hickey, a former judo athlete, has been an IOC member since 1995. He has served on the policy-making executive board since 2012.IOC spokesman Mark Adams said the committee would fully cooperate with the police investigation.We dont know what the allegations or charges are yet, he said. We have full confidence in the system here.The allegations centered on more than 800 tickets belonging to the Irish committee.Todays arrest shows that the law must be followed, top police investigator Ricardo Barbosa said after a news conference. Even more when we are talking about the biggest sporting event that should uphold ethics and an international spirit. We found out that the Irish Olympic Committee ended up facilitating the ticket scalping scheme.An Irish executive was arrested last week in the same investigation. Kevin James Mallon is one of the heads of British hospitality provider THG, the main company suspected in the scheme. Mallon was arrested along with a local employee who was working as an interpreter.Authorities have also issued warrants for four more executives at THG, including Marcus Evans, who owns Marcus Evans Group, the parent company and owner of English soccer club Ipswich Town.Police are also looking for two soccer agents and a financial adviser at Pro 10 Sports Management, which investigators allege was created to facilitate the transfer of tickets between the Irish Olympic committee and THG, an unauthorized ticket seller.After the first arrests last week, the Olympic Council of Ireland said it would investigate why some of its tickets were in the possession of the suspects. The OCI name was visible on tickets displayed by police, but the Irish said they had no knowledge of the people in custody.---AP Sports Writer Rob Harris contributed to this report. Authentic Custom Chiefs Jersey . 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Durant finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Jackson matched his career high with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Lamb scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, lifting the Thunder to a 94-88 win over San Antonio and snapping the Spurs 11-game winning streak.Graeme McDowell believes victory at the 2015 OHL Classic at Mayakoba helped him realise he could still compete at the highest level. The Northern Irishman went into last years event in Mexico without a top-10 since his opening event of the year and languishing at No 82 in the world rankings, but took the title in a three-man play-off. Live PGA Tour Golf November 10, 2016, 6:00pm Live on Get Sky Sports Get a Sky Sports pass Victory secured McDowell invites to the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral and the Masters, events for which the former US Open champion is yet to guarantee a place in 2017. McDowell aims to make a similarly fast start to his PGA Tour season and move up the world rankings, having missed the cut in Las Vegas last week.It was a very important victory for me at the end of last season, McDowell told a pre-tournament press conference. It opened up some nice doors for me and put me in some good positions in the FedExCup points. The Northern Irishman heads into this weeks event as world No 81 I tthink this time of the year is becoming very important for the PGA Tour and I think thats why we continue to see more and more players playing at this time of the year.ddddddddddddIts so important that they get off to a fast start with so many great players now and it being so difficult to win.The win last win here was very special to me on a lot of levels and of course Id dearly love to try and repeat it this week. Watch NOW TV Watch Sky Sports for just ￡6.99. No contract. McDowell tees off for the opening two rounds alongside Charley Hoffman and Russell Knox, who finished joint runner-up with Jason Bohn last time around.Former world No 1 Luke Donald features with Jim Furyk and former PGA champion Keegan Bradley, while Ian Poulter and Irelands Seamus Power are also in the field. McDowell finished tied-fourth at Octobers British Masters Can McDowell defend his title? Watch the OHL Classic at Mayakoba live throughout the week on Sky Sports 4 - your home of golf. Also See: PGA Tour latest news Recap: Gmacs Mexico win Pampling ends PGA drought Golf live on Sky Sports ' ' '