Rory McIlroy breaks silence over why he is representing Ireland and not Great Britain at the 2024 Paris Olympics

Rory McIlroy begins his 2024 Olympic campaign at 9:11am UK time on Thursday.

The Northern Irishman is competing at the Summer Olympics for the second time, having nearly won a medal at his first Olympics in Tokyo three years ago.

McIlroy finished just outside the medals in fourth place, but this time he is hoping for a podium finish.

The four-time major winner has opted to play for Ireland, as he has always done, heading to Paris.

He has finally revealed why he chose to represent Ireland instead of Team Great Britain at the Olympic Games.

The 35-year-old will represent the Emerald Isle in the opening round of the golf tournament on Thursday.

He will play alongside County Offaly-born Shane Lowry for Ireland

Why is Rory McIlroy playing for Ireland and not Great Britain at the Olympics?

Athletes from Northern Ireland are eligible to represent both countries at the Olympic Games.

This is because the Olympic Federation of Ireland and the British Olympic Association have an agreement that allows Northern Irish athletes to choose which team they want to compete for.

There has long been a debate over which country McIlroy should represent at the Olympics, with both Ireland and Team GB trying to recruit the golfer.

The situation became so messy that there were rumors that he would boycott the Olympics altogether to avoid public scrutiny.

He experienced this first-hand a few years ago when he said in an interview: ‘The fact is, I’ve always felt more British than Irish.’ This led to anger and huge backlash from his Irish fans.

After years of speculation over whether or not he would do it, McIlroy finally took his side and put an end to the debate when he announced he would represent Ireland at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

After years of speculation, McIlroy has decided to represent Ireland for the first time instead of Great Britain at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo

His decision to choose Ireland over Great Britain is because he has always played for Ireland at youth level so he doesn’t see why that should change.

However, the Downs-born star has never revealed why he chose the Emerald Isle over Britain.

But the mystery has been solved as the 35-year-old player recently explained why he chose to play for the Irish over the British.

He goes into detail about his thought process for his decision ahead of the Tokyo Games.

‘I made it harder on myself than it needed to be.

‘As I said before, once I was gone, so as not to offend anyone, it was actually quite an easy decision. The decision was that I would play golf for the country or nation that I have always played for, from my junior and amateur days up until now, in professional sport. And that is Ireland.’

McIlroy will tee off in the opening round of the golf event at 9:11am UK time on Thursday, August 1

Speaking about the fuss surrounding his decision to play for Ireland in Tokyo three years ago, McIlroy said:

‘Although the Olympics gave me that choice, there really was no choice because all I’ve done in my life is play golf for Ireland, so why should that change just because the tournament has changed? That was my decision.’

Before adding: ‘I’ve never tried so hard to finish third in my life. Once you get into that Olympic spirit, something happens inside you and you get a sense of what it means to so many people. Just to say I’m an Olympian is amazing, but to win a medal would be incredibly special.’