MINSK, Belarus -- The acting head of Europes top Olympic body said Friday that its president, Patrick Hickey, should be allowed to leave Brazil and return to Ireland because his health is deteriorating and he needs an urgent heart operation.Hickey is not permitted to leave Brazil, where he was arrested two months ago during the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on ticket scalping charges and awaits a possible trial. Selling tickets at above face value is illegal in Brazil, and authorities promised before the Olympics to enforce the law.Hickey, who has denied wrongdoing, has temporarily stepped down from all his Olympic positions pending a resolution of his case. He was president of the European Olympic Committees, head of Irelands national Olympic Committee and a member of the International Olympic Committees powerful executive board.I am in contact with him personally, acting EOC president Janez Kocijancic told The Associated Press in Minsk. Hes 71. Hes not in the best health. I think that the first step should be that he returns home for the heart surgery and the treatment.In further procedures, I hope that he will have the possibility to prove his innocence, Kocijancic added.The IOC said it was not contributing toward Hickeys defense, but also asked for his release on health grounds.It goes without saying that the I?C fully respects the laws and all judicial procedures prevailing in Brazil, the IOC said in a statement to the AP. But the health of Mr. Hickey is giving the IOC great concern, and has seriously deteriorated over the past weeks. Mr. Hickey requires immediate special treatment in relation to his condition.Needless to say that the IOC cannot elaborate on medical details. However, the IOC understands that it would be preferable that the needed treatment is administered in Ireland, the IOC added.In Rio de Janeiro, prosecutor Marcos Kac told AP that a trial date still had not been set and offered few details.As soon as the trial starts, we can give more information, he said.The law firm defending Hickey -- Kamenetz and Marcolini -- said in an email that we do not comment about ongoing cases.The Irish Independent newspaper published a photo of Hickey arriving at a court in Rio on Thursday, registering as part of the condition of his bail. The newspaper said he did not speak as he entered the judicial proceedings.In a previous statement, Hickey told the newspaper: I intend to face all the charges and to fight each and every one of them.This has been a life-changing experience for me, my wife, my four children and my five grandchildren and my priority is to recover my health and see my family as soon as possible, he said.Kocijancic, the acting EOC president, said he believes Hickey is innocent of the charges.We studied all the relevant material and from all that we know, he is innocent, he didnt commit any crime, Kocijancic said.I dont know if hes guilty or not but I think its wrong, the things that have been done to him, his rights as a citizen, Danish Olympic Committee general secretary Morten Moelholm Hansen said.Even Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko weighed in to defend Hickey.There is no proof of any offense, he said, calling the accusations made up.Hickey is among 10 people facing charges of ticket scalping, conspiracy and ambush marketing related to the Olympics. He was arrested on Aug. 17 during the Rio Games in a dawn raid on his Rio hotel room.Hickeys passport has been confiscated, and he must remain in Brazil until the case is concluded.Police have said that Hickey plotted with businessmen to transfer tickets illegally from a sports company called Pro 10 to hospitality provider THG Sports, which was a non-authorized vendor and allegedly sold them for very high fees. Police investigators said the scheme was planned to bring in $3 million.The head of THG Sports, Kevin James Mallon, was arrested on Aug. 5 in the case, but was set free, like Hickey. He faces the same charges and must remain in Brazil.---AP Sports Writer Stephen Wade and Associated Press writer Adriana Gomez in Rio de Janeiro contributed to this report. T.J. Green Jersey . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. Peyton Manning Jersey . Jason Zucker and Matt Cooke also scored for Minnesota, which has won five of six. Kuemper made five saves in the first, nine in the second, and nine in the third. The rookies best save came with 2:17 left in the third period when he denied former Wild forward Matt Cullen from just outside of the crease on the right side. http://www.authenticfootballshopcolts.com/authentic-johnathan-hankins-jersey.html . Giroud, who wasnt in the starting lineup for two matches after allegations about his private life and a decline in form, scored twice in the first half. Tomas Rosickys chip made it 3-0 before half time at Emirates Stadium, while defender Laurent Koscielny scored an unmarked header in the second half. Josh Ferguson Jersey . He says so-called TRT is only one problem and he wants to go even further than the ban. "Its about time," St-Pierre told reporters at a promotional event in Montreal on Friday. "I think its a good thing. Pierre Desir Jersey . Vaives lawyer Trevor Whiffen claims the former 50-goal man wasnt provided with a copy of the claim beforehand and that he would not have agreed to the allegations made against the NHL had he been asked to review its contents. CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Nate Britt hasnt been able to make up for the offense and shooting touch lost with North Carolinas starting point guard sidelined by an ankle injury.Still, the senior was good enough in the final minutes of a tight game to help the No. 7 Tar Heels complete a big comeback -- with some help from a couple of freshmen.Rookie big man Tony Bradley Jr. blocked a shot in the final seconds to help the Tar Heels rally from 15 down to beat Tennessee 73-71 on Sunday, a performance that Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams described as a struggle.With Joel Berry II missing his second straight game due to a sprained left ankle suffered last weekend, Britt finished with 11 points and shot just 4 of 14, but he also had seven assists and a career-high five steals.I talked to (assistant coach Hubert) Davis after practice yesterday and he was telling me: The shots will come ... but youve got to lose yourself in the game, Britt said. You can do so much more than just knock down shots.Britt has started with Berry out, but went 0 for 8 against Davidson. Justin Jackson scored 27 points and hit seven 3-pointers to carry the offense that night, but he shot just 3 of 15 Sunday -- though he had the go-ahead driving score with 2:14 left.While Kenny Williams III led UNC with 12 points, Bradley finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds while fellow freshman Brandon Robinson tipped in a missed drive by Britt with 52.4 seconds left for a three-point lead.Roy Williams was irked by his teams play in the Davidson win. He wasnt much happier Sunday.I approach it like we stunk it up, and we made a couple of plays at the end, he said.Robert Hubbs III had 21 points to lead the Volunteers (4-4), who led 30-15 early and shot 65 percent in the first half before finishing at 52 percent. But UNC had 22 offensive boards and scored 25 second-chance points to offset its 40-percent shooting.We told our team at halftime: if were going to win the game, were going to have to do it by rebounding the ball, Tennessee coach Rick Barnes saiid.dddddddddddd We didnt do it. Carolina just played volleyball with it.BIG PICTURETennessee: The Volunteers repeatedly came up big shots to answer UNCs pushes in the second half. But rebounding and the 3-for-13 shooting from 3-point range was too much to overcome.Like I told them, its easy to go in the locker room and say, `We did this, we did that, but the fact is we came to win and we didnt, Barnes said. I dont want them to feel good about being close in games. Weve got to figure out a way to get over the hump.UNC: The Tar Heels badly miss Berrys floor leadership, scoring ability and toughness to finish through contact. That was especially glaring with Jackson struggling and the front line of Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks combining for 15 points and nine boards.While Roy Williams wouldnt focus on Berrys absence, Britt was asked about his takeaway from the past two games of playing without Berry.You could see how much we need him, Britt said.BRADLEYS BLOCKTennessee had a last chance to tie as Lamonte Turner drove toward the basket. The 6-foot-10 Bradley blocked the shot and grabbed the loose ball in what amounted to the Volunteers last real shot.The point guard was dribbling toward me kind of fast so I knew just to try to help, Bradley said. I put my hand up and the ball hit my hand, and I got the rebound. It happened so fast.POLL IMPLICATIONSThe Tar Heels didnt look particularly sharp in two wins this week. Could that cost them some votes in the new AP Top 25 released Monday?UP NEXTTennessee: The Volunteers host Tennessee Tech on Tuesday night.UNC: The Tar Heels play their second straight against a Southeastern Conference opponent in a marquee matchup against No. 6 Kentucky on Saturday in Las Vegas.---Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap---More AP college basketball at http://collegebasketball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-Top25 Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale NFL Jerseys China Jerseys Cheap Wholesale Jerseys 2019 Jerseys NFL China Jerseys From China Cheap Jerseys Online ' ' '