2025 Platinum
The 25-year-old, who was born in Northern Ireland, has decided to wear the green golf clothing of the Emerald Isle at the event in 2016.
He was eligible to play for Great Britain or Ireland and his choice has been the subject of ongoing speculation for a number of months.
But McIlroy has finally pledged his allegiance to Ireland, and he hopes people will respect his decision moving forward.
The two-time major winner cited the fact that he represented the country as an amateur as one of the main reasons behind his choice.
He feels no reason to change now and is excited at the prospect of playing in the Olympics.
The top 15 world-ranked players will be eligible for selection in Rio - in both the men's and women's events - regardless of the number of players from a given country.
Players outside the top 15 will be eligible based on world ranking with a maximum of two players from each country.
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