Storm of reaction as Rory McIlroy withdraws from Rio Olympics

Some wondered if McIlroy’s heart had ever been in representing the Republic of Ireland.

Storm of reaction as Rory McIlroy withdraws from Rio Olympics

Rory McIlroy has this morning

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The Holywood golfer had hinted in recent weeks that he was concerned about illness and possible long-term effects, but the news still prompted a storm of reaction online.

Many questioned the necessity of the decision, when the vast majority of other athletes feel comfortable going.

Unless he has much bigger news for us!

Some wondered if McIlroy’s heart had ever been in representing Ireland - given the delay declaring his intentions when golf was first confirmed as an Olympic sport.

Irish boxer Darren O’Neill has failed to qualify for the Games and showed his frustration with the decision.

Meanwhile others wondered if the Olympics are taken seriously at all by golfers.

But there was still plenty of support for McIlroy, who said in his statement: “I've come to realize that my health and my family's health comes before anything else.

“Even though the risk of infection from the Zika virus is considered low, it is a risk nonetheless and a risk I am unwilling to take.”

Concerns about the Zika virus, which has been linked to birth defects, have cast a shadow over Rio 2016 but the International Olympic Committee, with guidance from the World Health Organisation, has resisted calls for the Games to be moved or postponed.

The WHO declared the Zika epidemic to be a global emergency in February but latest reports from the organisation regard the risks of international spread as a result of the Olympics as "very low".

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