A statement from the Olympic Council of Ireland read: “In light of this morning’s developments and his ill health, Mr Hickey has taken the decision to step aside temporarily as President of the OCI and all other Olympic functions (IOC member in Ireland, EOC President, ANOC Vice President) until this matter is fully resolved.”

Slovenian appointed acting EOC president
The 71-year-old Hickey is also the President of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) and the Vice President of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC). Janez Kocijančič from Slovenia, who is not a member of the prestigious International Olympic Committee (IOC), will now temporarily serve as the acting President of the European Olympic Committees. “According to EOC statutes, EOC Vice President Janez Kocijančič will assume the role of acting EOC President effective immediately,” the EOC said on its website. Kocijančič has been a member of the EOCexecutive committee since 2005. He became the body’s vice president in 2013.

Kocijančič, 74, has served as the president of the Slovenian Olympic Committee between 1991 and 2014. He has also been a member of the International Ski Federation Council since 1981. In 2010, he became the Council’s president.

To.G.; translated by D.V.