Luxury hotel embroiled in Olympic Games scandal

With panoramic views of the white sands of one of Rio de Janeiro’s longest beaches and not far from the Olympic Park, the five-star Windsor Marapendi hotel was an obvious choice for delegates from the International Olympic Committee.

But this week the hotel, with its rooftop pool and marble floors, has played host to the most unlikely drama of the XXXI Olympiad, with the arrest of Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) president Pat Hickey, leading to a serious crisis in Irish sport.

Mr Hickey, 71, along with eight others, is facing charges that carry a maximum seven years in jail. He is accused of allowing Olympic tickets to be diverted from the OCI, via its official reseller Pro10 Sports Management, to another company, THG Sports, that allegedly touted them in Brazil for up to €7,000 each — the equivalent of up to 18 times their original face value.