Cycling: Irish pursuit cyclist David O'Loughlin will compete in the Olympic Games after being granted a place by the International Cycling Union (ICU).
The development comes after a lobbying campaign by the Olympic Council of Ireland and means O'Loughlin will race in the Men's Individual in the new cycling velodrome in Laoshan, Beijing.
"We have been putting the pressure on at international levels to get this spot, one that is ready made for David O'Loughlin and we expect that Cycling Ireland will formally nominate David to us for selection onto the Irish Olympic squad in the coming days," OCI president Pat Hickey said today.
The Galway-based Pezula Racing team cyclist finished sixth in the World Championships in March and has continued training in the hope he would be granted a place.
Ireland's Olympic team manager, Frank Campbell, has praised the efforts of the OCI and Cycling Ireland in securing the spot.