Shortly after Rory McIlroy pulled out of the 2016 Rio Olympics, Shane Lowry has followed in his footsteps.
The Irish golfer has chosen not to compete in the sporting event this summer, due to fears surrounding the Zika virus.
The Offaly native has no intentions of traveling to Rio, as he hopes to start a family soon, and doesn’t want to put his family’s health at risk.
In a statement just released, Shane said, “Myself and my management team have been closely monitoring the Zika virus situation in South America for the past number of months, but based on a number of consultations with leading medical experts in recent days, I feel that I would be putting my family’s health at risk by being in Brazil at the current time.
“Wendy and I have just recently been married and we hope to be lucky enough to have a family in the near future. Based on these circumstances, I have received firm medical advice that I should not travel to Rio this summer. I have not taken this decision lightly and it has been a source of much anguish for me over the past week.”
He went on to wish the rest of the Irish team the very best of luck, saying, “I know how hard they have all worked and the many sacrifices each athlete has made to get there. Like all Irish sports fans, I will be cheering them on hoping they can bring back a few medals and continue the proud tradition of Olympic success that we have in our great country.”
