Why did Rory McIlroy withdraw from the 2016 Olympics in Rio? Reason and more explored

At the 2016 Olympics, golf returned to the games for the first time since 1904, and Rory McIlroy could have been part of the competition. However, a major concern forced the Irishman to withdraw from the competition that was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

McIlroy withdrew from the competition due to the outbreak of the Zika Virus. In a statement after withdrawing from the 2016 Olympics, Rory McIlroy explained the reason why he wasn't going to Brazil. The Irishman said:

"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."

The Zika virus is a virus that spread in Brazil and other South American countries between April 2015 and November 2016. McIlroy's withdrawal from the games at that time was not only a blow to the fans but also to the Irish Olympic Council who had high hopes for McIlroy since he was World No. 3 at the time.

In a statement, the Irish Olympic Council mentioned they were extremely disappointed that Rory McIlroy won't be traveling to Brazil. However, it also emphasized that they respected his decision which he took due to personal reasons.

While McIlroy did not play in the 2016 Olympics, he did travel to Tokyo in 2021 to play in the Olympics that was delayed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In Tokyo, the Irishman finished T4, and he will once again play at the ongoing Olympics in France.

---

Who will Rory McIlroy team up with and face at the 2024 Paris Olympics?

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Rory McIlroy will represent Ireland along with seasoned professional golfer Shane Lowry. In their bid to win a gold for Ireland, McIlroy and Lowry will be up against some of the best players from around the world.

Here is the complete list of golfers set to compete at the 2024 Olympics:

• Argentina - Emiliano Grillo, Alejandro Tosti
• Australia - Jason Day, Min Woo Lee
• Austria - Sepp Straka
• Belgium - Thomas Detry, Adrien Dumont de Chassart
• Canada - Corey Conners, Nick Taylor
• Chile - Mito Pereira, Joaquin Niemann
• China - Zecheng Dou, Carl Yuan
• Chinese Taipei - CT Pan, Kevin Yu
• Colombia - Nico Echevarria, Camillo Villages
• Denmark - Nicolai Hojgaard, Thorbjorn Olesen
• Finland - Sami Valimaki
• France - Matthieu Pavon, Victor Perez
• Germany - Stephan Jaeger, Matti Schmid
• Great Britain - Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood
• India - Gaganjeet Bhullar, Shubshankar Sharma
• Ireland - Shane Lowry, Rory McIlroy
• Italy - Matteo Manassero, Guido Migliozzi
• Japan - Hideki Matsuyama, Keita Nakajima
• Malaysia - Gavin Green
• Mexico - Abraham Ancer, Carlos Ortiz
• Netherlands - Darius van Driel, Joost Luiten
• New Zealand - Ryan Fox, Daniel Hillier
• Norway - Viktor Hovland, Kris Ventura
• Paraguay - Fabrizio Zanotti
• Poland - Adrian Meronk
• Puerto Rico - Rafael Campos
• South Africa - Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Erik Van Rooyen
• South Korea - Byeong Hun An, Tom Kim
• Spain - Jon Rahm, David Puig
• Sweden - Ludvig Aberg, Alex Noren
• Thailand - Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Phachara Khongwatmai
• United States - Wyndham Clark, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler