Pat Hickey claims he is innocent of all charges laid against him by a Brazilian court, and will fight each and every one of them.

He made the assertion in a statement issued this evening:

The charges relate to alleged ticket touting at the Rio Olympic Games.

A judge in Rio formally accepted the charges against Pat Hickey last Friday.

This evening, he stated that he will fight all of the charges against him.

He says he is completely innocent of all such charges and will vigorously defend his good name.

The statement says he believes in the Brazilian judicial system and is confident of being discharged of all accusations.

Mr Hickey says this has been a life changing experience for him.

He stated that - contrary to media reports - he is not under house arrest in Brazil.