Timeline: The Olympic Council of Ireland ticketing controversy

The remarkable Olympic ticketing controversy has seen two Irish men arrested in Rio and convulsed Irish sport. Below is a timeline showing how the controversy unfolded.

August 7th - Brazilian authoritiespublicly announce that Kevin Mallon, of sports hospitality company THG Sports, was arrested on August 5th, along with his interpreter, in his Rio de Janeiro hotel, Next Flat, for alleged ticket touting. They say Mr Mallon was in possession of several tickets for Friday's opening ceremony, for "irregular sale". A spokesman for the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) said it has no knowledge of the matter and was not connected to it in any way.

August 9th - The OCI says it has "no knowledge" of the two people arrested and is no longer linked in any way with THG. It says THG was its authorised ticket reseller during the Olympic Games in London, in 2012, but Pro10 Sports Management was appointed for the 2016 games. It says it is launching an investigation into the allegations.

August 10th- Mr Mallon is formally accused, along with three other people. He was "arrested in the act, providing, diverting or facilitating of tickets for cambismo" - the Brazilian term for the illegal resale of tickets. Police say they found 813 tickets in his possession and some, allegedly, originated with the OCI.

August 11th - Minister for Transport, Shane Ross, calls on OCI president Pat Hickey to explain the circumstances that led up to the arrest of Mr Mallon. Member of the Dáil public accounts committee also call for clarification.

August 11th - Mr Hickey insists theOCI "don't handle the tickets whatsoever".

“I have never met Kevin Mallon and I don’t know anything about him. When I heard the reports, I thought he was based in the UK. To my knowledge, none of the staff of the OCI have met him,” he says.

August 12th - Mr Ross says he will meet Mr Hickey in Rio and ask him "if he'll consider having an independent member sit on his committee or two independent members sit on his committee", to ensure the OCI investigation is "satisfactory, independent and rigorous".

August 15th - Mr Hickey refuses to include an independent figure on the council's inquiry into the ticketing controversy. He describes his meeting with Mr Ross as "excellent", while the minister says it was "fairly tense, fairly direct and fairly frank". He says he was "absolutely stunned" at Mr Hickey's refusal and will consult the Attorney General about his next move.

August 15th - Superior court of justice judge, Ribeiro Dantas, refuses to release Mr Mallon on bail.

August 16th - Attorney General Maire Whelan raises concerns about any independent inquiry into the alleged ticket touting and its potential for interfering with criminal investigations in Brazil. The Government moves to dampen expectations of an independent inquiry.

August 17th - Pat Hickey is arrested in Rio at the Hotel Windsor Marapendi and temporarily steps aside as head of the OCI. Police say they have evidence the 71-year-old was part of the alleged ticket-touting scheme. He is hospitalised after becoming unwell.

August 17th - Brazilian authorities issue arrest warrants for Pro10 directors Michael Glynn, Eamonn Collins and Ken Murray. The company vehemently deny any suggestion of involvement in ticket touting.

August 18th - Mr Hickey is released from hospital into police custody. Mr Ross says he will appoint a senior counsel or judge to lead an independent investigation into the Rio ticket controversy.

August 19th - It emerges the Government inquiry will not have the power to compel witnesses and will be on a non-statutory basis. The OCI says it will co-operate fully with it.

August 19th - The prison in which Mr Hickey is held, the José Frederico Marques public jail, also known as Bangu 10, is described as having had "totally sub-human" conditions in 2015.

August 20th - Mr Hickey is said to be sharing a prison cell with Mr Mallon. Judge Mariana Tavares Shu, who issued warrants for his arrest, and for three directors of Pro 10, declared him a flight risk.

August 21st - Police in Rio seize the passports of three OCI officials; Dermot Henihan, Kevin Kilty and Stephen Martin. A judge has also authorised the seizure of John Delaney's passport. The Football Association of Ireland chief executive, who is also OCI vice-president, is not in Brazil. Acting OCI president William O'Brien and official Linda O'Reilly are also named on the warrant.

August 22nd - Police in Rio say they will question Dermot Henihan, Kevin Kilty and Stephen Martin. They say they have also seized mobile phones, computers and a significant quantity of tickets from two locations used by the OCI delegation.

August 23rd - Pat Hickey's lawyers say their client did not seek to evade arrest when he was picked up, in the room next to that of his wife, on the day he was arrested in Hotel Windsor Marapendi. He said he was sleeping in a separate room due to insomnia.

August 23rd - Rio de Janeiro police release emails showing contacts between Mr Hickey and Marcus Evans, the UK owner of THG.

August 24th - Retired judge, Mr Justice Carroll Moran is announced as head of the Government's ticket inquiry. The ICI also appoints Espion, a data security company, to "secure, copy and seal" all its electronic communications in advance of the inquiry.

August 25th - The OCI says there are no legal curbs on co-operating with the Government inquiry.

August 25th - No judges have yet been assigned to deal with the cases of Mr Hickey and Mr Mallon.

August 25th - Kevin Kilty and Stephen Martin are questioned by Rio police, who announce afterwards they believe the OCI officials had no role in the alleged ticket touting. Dermot Henihan was questioned on the 23rd.

August 26th - Police in Rio say testimony from Kevin Kilty and Stephen Martin indicated Pat Hickey was in charge of the organisation's ticketing and was "the big chief of this gang".

August 26th - Mr Hickey's family say they are concerned about his health and the way he is being treated. They call on Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan and Minister for Sport Shane Ross to intervene. Mr Flanagan agrees to meet with the family.

August 27th - OCI appoints Grant Thornton to review its ticketing regime and and report on it.

August 27th - Emails seen by The Irish Times appear to show Pat Hickey and Marcus Evans co-ordinated their companies' responses as the ticketing controversy unfolded.

August 27th - After almost four weeks in jail, Kevin Mallon is granted a temporary writ of habeas corpus meaning he is set to be released from jail.