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New OCI president pledges transparency on ticketing

New Olympic Council of Ireland president Sarah Keane says the new board intend to be much more tr...



New OCI president pledges tran...
Golf

New OCI president pledges transparency on ticketing

New Olympic Council of Ireland president Sarah Keane says the new board intend to be much more transparent regarding ticketing.

The Swim Ireland CEO was elected as president last week to become the long term replacement for Pat Hickey.

Issues around ticket distribution have been something the OCI has had to grapple with in recent times and Keane says that will be part of the agenda going forward.

"From our perspective going forward, we will absolutely be looking to be much more transparent about how the ticketing works," she told Off The Ball

"Ticketing is going to be part of the agenda of this new board because as an athlete myself in my own - though I wasn't at a high performance level - I understand the commitment of the athletes but also of their families. And therefore I understand the importance of the athletes' families feeling part of the journey to the Olympic Games and wanting to be present. So I think from that perspective, it's something that has to be addressed," she said.

"I'd like to think it didn't affect the athletes at the time but I think as part of the whole experience, it's important that those things happen."

She added that regarding authorised ticket resellers, "the appointment of Pro 10 did not come before the board of the Olympic Council of Ireland in 2015" and that in her view "the appointment of an authorised ticket reseller is something that should come in front of the board" in future.

Ahead of the election last week, fellow OCI presidential candidate Bernard O'Byrne had said it was a "damaged brand".

Keane also raised that issue, saying: "Obviously I think there's the whole trust issue and secondly, there is a question probably about the relevance of the organisation - people understanding where it fits," she said.

She added that the OCI are aiming to make sure that the organisation is "fit for purpose". 

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