Rio tickets row: Willing the minister on to victory

WHILE Irish sports fans undoubtedly follow with great interest the fortunes of our Olympic athletes, the most fascinating bout in Rio is between Sports Minister Shane Ross and the chairman of the Olympic Council of Ireland, Pat Hickey.

If their war of words was a lightweight boxing final, rounds one and two would have gone to Minister Ross. But Mr Hickey cannot be written off. He has been at the helm of the OCI since 1989 and, even though he might be on the ropes, he is artful, adroit, and clever. A former Irish judo champion, he has exhibited some fancy footwork.

He not only leads the OCI, but is also president of the European Olympic Committees and is vice-president of the world body, the Association of National Olympic Committees. In reality, he is no lightweight.