CIARAN WARD, the 26 year old Belfast man who has pursued a full time judo career for the past two years, has received a "wild card" selection in to the Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Ward, who fought in Barcelona four years ago, has been based between Scotland and France over the last 24 months as he worked towards his Olympic dream.

The fourth Dan black belt finished in 10th place in the European rankings (with the top nine automatically qualifying for the Olympics) and his place in the summer Games was confirmed yesterday.