For the first time since the 1948 Olympics in London Ireland will have a diver competing in the Olympics Games later this year.

Twenty three old English born Oliver Dingley qualified for the Rio Olympics at a World Cup event in the host city today.

A bronze medallist for the UK at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014 he switched allegiance to the Republic later that year.

His grandmother who hails from Spike Island in Cork now resides in Kent but through her he is eligible to compete for Ireland.

His disillusionment with his native country arose from an incident prior to the Olympics Games in 2012 when after finishing second at the UK Olympic trials he was overlooked for selection with the diver who finished third getting the nod instead.

Online Editors