Three Olympic Council of Ireland officials will today attend a Rio police station to answer questions about ticketing at the Olympics and what role if any they or their employer played in alleged touting.
It is hoped they will walk free and step straight onto a plane to return to Ireland.
Pat Hickey remains in Bangu prison and hopes that he would come before a judge today look to be fading with a hearing more likely for later in the week.
Back at home the Government is expected to hold further talks in the political sphere today. It will advance the appointment of a retired judge to head an investigation that it now looks likely will go back to London 2012 to explore where the connections and relationships were primarily formed with third parties that have given rise to the chain of events that have come to pass to date.
These are eight questions which we would like to see answered in the Government investigation
Global sport marches on though and while it is not foremost in the minds of the Olympic executives here, sponsorship deals are being signed that will impact at local level.
Kia has been one of the main long term supporters of the Olympic Council but a new eight year deal will soon come into play at IOC level where Toyota have joined The Top Olympic Partner Programme. This will mean an exclusive option for them in the vehicle and mobility sector here though there is no obligation for the local team to take that on.
Sponsorship income was put forward as a mainstay of the OCI funding by Pat Hickey prior to his stepping aside as President but that must now be considered to be under serious threat.
Electric Ireland’s deal was to support the team in Rio and they have worked well to create great content and brand empathy through the storytelling around the Games. It was never intended though that this would be a long term deal and it is likely that, in similar fashion to what happened after London, they will regroup and see how the land lies in three years time ahead of Tokyo.
Kellogg’s are similarly on board for the duration of the games, featuring Katie Taylor on boxes of cereal and in promotional campaigns.
Muller and Newbridge Silverware are two others to be involved in sponsorship at local level but the OCI did not respond to queries last night about the nature of those and other sponsorship arrangements.
Regardless of the outcome of the many investigations now taking place or scheduled to begin, the brand of the Olympic Council has taken a hammer blow in terms of its appeal to commercial brands.
It has time to recover in the coming years but it will be a very long, slow process, with no guarantee of an appetite to associate.
Just one more problem to add to the list…
Sport for Business’ Coverage of the 2016 Olympic Games is supported by Team Ireland Official Partner Electric Ireland #ThePowerWithin
