Why does Rory McIlroy represent Ireland and not Great Britain in the Olympics?

Rory McIlroy will again represent Ireland instead of Team GB at the Paris Olympics.

The golf superstar will be competing for a gold medal in his second Games this summer after playing in the Men’s Individual Stroke Play in Tokyo. 

McIlroy finished just outside the medals then as he came tied for fourth, but this time around, he’ll be aiming to get on the podium. 

Four years ago, the Northern Irishman represented Ireland and it’s the same again this year, so talkSPORT.com has taken a look at why…

Why does Rory McIlroy represent Ireland? 

McIlroy represents Ireland simply because he chooses to. 

In the Olympics, Northern Irish athletes are allowed to decide who they represent between Great Britain or the Republic of Ireland. 

‘Team GB’ as a name excludes Northern Ireland as Great Britain is made up of England, Wales and Scotland, with Northern Ireland only part of the United Kingdom with those countries.

So some athletes feel they don’t want to represent them and there have been calls for that name to be changed to ‘Team UK’. 

In Paris, McIlroy has opted for Ireland as he has always done before when competing on the national stage. 

After announcing his decision, he said: “I made it more difficult for myself than I needed to.

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“My feeling towards it was more ‘What will other people think?’ Once I got that out of my head and just tried to do what was right for me, then it became easy. 

“It was me wrestling with all of those things.

“As I said previously, once I left trying not to upset anyone aside, then it was actually a pretty easy decision. 

“The decision was I’m going to play golf for the country or the nation that I’ve always played for through my junior and amateur days and now into the professional game.

“Even though the Olympics has given me this choice, there really wasn’t a choice because all I’ve done throughout my life is play golf for Ireland so why would that change just because the tournament has changed. 

“That was my decision.”

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And as he prepares to represent Ireland, the superstar golfer has been talking about what winning gold would mean.

He said: “For me, it’s well documented I haven’t won one of the big four in ten years, so it [a gold medal in Paris] would be one of, if not the biggest, achievements of my career in the last ten years.

“I’ve obviously had a bit more time off than I wanted with not playing the weekend at The Open, but I’m excited to be here and at a golf course where I’ve got a lot of fond memories from the Ryder Cup a few years ago.

“And it’s good to get back to playing in conditions that are a little bit more familiar. Obviously, Troon was really, really difficult but to be out here in the sunshine without a lot of wind feels really nice.”

You can follow McIlroy in action for Ireland at the 2024 Paris Olympics live on talkSPORT. 

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