The chair of the crisis management committee of the OCI has resigned from the executive board.

Ciaran O’Cathain resigned at a meeting of the Olympic Council of Ireland last night.

It comes amid speculation as to whether the OCI may try to permanently remove Pat Hickey as their president.

Mr Hickey has temporarily stepped aside as the head of the Olympic Council of Ireland while facing criminal charges in Brazil for ticket touting.

The Council is paying his legal costs, but he has used the same lawyers to threaten the OCI with a High Court injunction preventing them from proceeding with a report into the Rio ticketing arrangements.