But Hoketsu insists he is no role model for the older generation and does not dwell on his age when he goes out and competes. He is just like any of the other 200-strong field of riders competing in Hong Kong.

'Age has nothing to do with it. I didn't qualify for these Games because of my age,' he smiles. 'I'm not taking part to give a message to anybody. I'm not here to tell the older generation what they can do. I'm just here to take part.'

He might shun carrying the torch for the elderly, but Hoketsu is a proud symbol for the more mature brigade. Modest and polite, he evokes memories of a time when the world, and the Games, were completely different.

In 1964, post-war reconstruction was over and Japan had rejoined the international family. The Tokyo Olympics was the coming-out party for the newly industrialised Japan. The Bullet Train had made its first run and reflected the mood of the country - moving up fast.

'The world was a different place back then. The Olympics was different. We were all amateurs. There were no professionals, not in equestrian or any other sport,' Hoketsu reflected.

Hoketsu, then aged 22, was one of the showjumpers in the Japanese squad. He finished 40th. His hopes of going one better at following Olympics never materialised. He has had to wait 44 years before getting a second try.

'I came close to making it into the Japan Olympic team on two other occasions,' says Hoketsu. 'I was a reserve for the Japanese dressage team at the 1984 Games, and four years later, for Seoul, I was on the team but had to pull out because of a quarantine problem with my horse.'

In February this year, Hoketsu was selected for Japan's dressage team after he spearheaded their second-place finish at the Asia-Pacific Olympic qualifying event in New Zealand. Hoketsu was back in the Olympics after 44 years.

'I'm happy to be back,' says Hoketsu. 'At first glance, the biggest change I can see is how much security there is these days. It wasn't the case back in Tokyo.'

Yes, the Olympics changed after the 1972 Munich massacre. Today, post-9/11, host cities have become even more security conscious, sometimes bordering on paranoia. Hoketsu shrugs: 'I suppose you can't help that these days.'

One other thing has changed for him. Forty-four years ago he was a showjumper. Last night he took part in the more sedate dressage competition. Although he plays down his age at every opportunity, growing old was the reason for the move.

'The biggest requirement for showjumping is eye capability. You need to be able to judge distances, something which lessens as you get old. That is why I changed to dressage. I have forgotten showjumping. The last time I did that was more than 30 years ago,' laughs Hoketsu.

In the past, Japan's tradition in equestrianism was mostly based around the military. But Hoketsu bucked that convention. He was 12 when he attended a summer camp outside Tokyo and rode his first horse.

'They brought a rented horse for us to ride and I remember sitting on it and feeling very excited. The stable manager was a very kind gentleman who told me I could ride it and go anywhere I want.

'I was fascinated and wasn't afraid at all. When I returned home, I asked my father if I could start riding and he encouraged me. That's how it all started for me,' Hoketsu recollects.

The pressures of running a successful pharmaceutical company - he was the president - was another reason behind his long break from the Olympics. But five years ago he retired and his passion for the sport was quickly rekindled.

Setting a target of qualifying for the Beijing Olympics, Hoketsu relocated to Germany, leaving his wife and daughter behind in Tokyo so he could devote himself full-time to the sport.

'My wife was very supportive. She said I had worked enough and I could do anything I liked,' said Hoketsu.

The grand old man of the Olympics does not rule out an appearance in London four years from now. If he does turn up in 2012, he still won't be the oldest ever Olympian - an honour held by Swedish shooter Oscar Swahn, who was 72 years and 280 days when he won a medal at the 1920 Antwerp Games. His eyesight was good.

The oldest Olympic medallist was: 72