PAT HICKEY, THE former Irish Olympics chief, has resigned from the International Olympic Committee’s executive board.

The news follows confirmation of a November date for his Brazil trial earlier this week.

“Patrick Hickey has informed the IOC of his resignation as a member of the IOC Executive Board with immediate effect,” an IOC spokesperson said in a statement, according to Reuters.

”In his resignation letter, Mr Hickey emphasised that he wants to protect the IOC and to ensure that the interests of the National Olympic Committees are represented on the Executive Board.

He also reiterated his innocence in respect of all charges and confirmed that he hopes to exercise his functions as an IOC member in the future.

The IOC is meeting in Peru this week, where it’s expected Hickey’s seat on the board will be filled.

Hickey trial 

The trial proceedings will commence on 29 November 2017, almost a full year after Hickey left Brazil.

The former OCI President had been forced to remain in Brazil upon his release from prison, after his arrest during last year’s Olympic Games.

Hickey was given permission to return to Ireland last Christmas, citing medical grounds, and on payment of a bond of R$1.5million (€400,000) to the courts.

Prosecutor Marcos Kac said last week that if Hickey did not return to Brazil for trial, that his bond would be retained locally. Hickey’s legal team had suggested that their client may testify by video link, at the discretion of the judge.

Justice Guilherme Schilling Duarte published a statement on the Rio de Janeiro courts systems to set the date, and stated that only Pat Hickey and Kevin Mallon, among those accused, have responded to criminal accusations relating to the ticket touting controversy so far.

Both proclaim their innocence. The two legal teams have argued that no crime was committed by their clients, and cited a lack of evidence to the contrary.

The judge commented that, while the arguments of legal teams “will be resolved during the course of the instruction”, there is just cause to proceed with the criminal trial.

I verify the presence of all of the conditions necessary for the ignition of penal action, with a special emphasis on just cause.

He said there was “no hypothesis for summary absolution”.

A hearing of “instruction and judgment” was set for 29 November at 2pm, in Rio de Janeiro, advising that witnesses and the accused be advised.

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