Olympic Council of Ireland chief Pat Hickey in his room at the Windsor Marapendi Hotel, Barra Tijuca, Rio this morning..

Police in Brazil investigating illegal Olympic ticket sales have arrested the head of the European Olympic Committees, Irishman Patrick Hickey.

Mr Hickey, 71, is suspected of being involved in a scheme to sell tickets for higher than their face value.

He was taken to hospital as a precaution, and will probably stay the night there, police said.

The Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) said he had stood down temporarily from his roles after being arrested.

Brazilian police said that when officers went to Mr Hickey’s hotel room on Wednesday morning, they found his wife there with his Olympic credentials.

Mrs Hickey told them her husband had left Rio de Janeiro for Ireland at the weekend, they said.

With the help of the hotel they began a search and found Mr Hickey in the room next door, they added.

While police said they had reason to believe he was trying to escape, a video apparently of the arrest on the ESPN Brazil sports news website shows Mr Hickey answering the door naked to officers.