Bernard O'Byrne the Basketball Ireland CEO is reportedly preparing to try and succeed Pat Hickey as the President of the Olympic Council of Ireland.
O'Byrne remains one of the most well-known sporting administrators in the country having previously worked with the FAI in a similar position. He left the FAI in 2001, and was involved in the association's failed plans to build Eircom Park. He joined Basketball Ireland in 2011.
Speaking to The Pat Kenny Show in August, after Mr. Hickey was arrested in Brazil, O'Byrne called the-then OCI President as "a dogmatic, arrogant man" before adding Hickey was "probably one of the most successful Irish sports administrators ever."
Mr. O'Byrne added that he felt the OCI needed a clearout, for its reputation to improve both domestically and globally.
"If this does go down and people are found guilty and there is some kind of clearout, that can be good for our reputation... Every now and again, both in society, and in politics and in sport there is one of these clearouts. Often it's for the best."
The Irish Examiner state the Basketball Ireland CEO will throw his name into the ring, ahead of the election which takes place on February 9th. He revealed that if his candidacy was successful he would expect to keep his day job in the National Basketball Arena.
"I have been through a governance crisis here at Basketball Ireland and we have come through that on the other side. I don’t believe in coronations, I believe in elections. This is not an easy decision but I am very enthusiastic about it."
Mr. Hickey led the OCI from 1989 to last summer, having joined the Council's Executive Committee in 1981.
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