The men’s golf began at Le Golf National on Thursday with Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry teeing up for Ireland.
Some of the world’s top golfers – many who play for eye-watering amounts of money each week – will be fighting it out for gold, silver and bronze medals.
Representing Team GB are Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick, but it’s a who’s who of world golf on show, including world number one Scottie Scheffler (US), recent Open winner Xander Schauffele (US), Australia’s Jason Day and Norway’s Viktor Hovland.
But why is McIlroy representing Ireland, not Team GB at the Paris Olympics?
Where is Rory McIlroy from?
The Northern Irishman is from County Down, Holywood, near Belfast, which was officially named the best place to live in Northern Ireland in 2021.
A month ago he allowed the US Open to slip from his grasp over the closing four holes at Pinehurst but now he has the chance to come back and win gold for Ireland.
However, the 35-year-old said he has a “sense of resentment” towards having to pick which country he would represent.
Why does McIlroy represent Ireland over Team GB at the Olympics?
Athletes from Northern Ireland are allowed to choose whether they represent the Republic of Ireland or Team GB, consisting of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
But “Team GB” as a term in itself has cone under fire for seemingly excluding Northern Ireland, and there have been calls to rebrand it as “Team UK”.
For the 2021 Olympics in Toyko McIlroy chose to represent Ireland, saying this was just because “he has always” done so in international golf, despite saying he “feels more British” than Irish.
He said: “I made it more difficult for myself than I needed to. 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.”
