Olympic boxing medallist Jim McCourt dies at the age of 79

The death has been an announced of Jim McCourt, who won a bronze medal in boxing for Ireland at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The Belfast native was 79 and was Ireland's only medallist at the Games in the Japanese capital.

He lost a very tight semi-final bout in the lightweight divison to the Russian Velikton Barannikov, on a 3-2 scoreline.

McCourt also took home a bronze medal at the 1965 European Amateur Championships in Berlin in the same grade. A year later he won gold, this time in the light welterweight division, representing Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games in Kingston.

In 2011, Jim McCourt was inducted into the Irish Amateur Boxing Hall of Fame.