A 92-year-old dentist who took the bronze medal in the 1950 British Empire Games has become the oldest torchbearer for the London 2012 Olympic Games. Tony Chivers, who is the former chairman of the British Dental Association’s Benevolent Fund, took part in the Portland to Bournemouth leg of the torch relay last Friday; this honour comes sixty-two years after the dentist scooped the third place medal in the three-mile run when the Empire Games were held in Auckland, New Zealand.
Tony was nominated by the Benevolent Fund and it’s not the first time his services to dentistry have been rewarded; he received an MBE in 1996. After serving in WW2, Tony went on to represent his country in the three mile event at the 1950 games, before eventually turning to dentistry as a career after retiring from the sport. Even in his nineties, Tony is still keen to raise awareness for the Fund; encouraging people in the dental industry to back him during the relay and hopefully make a donation.
‘It’s a real honour to be chosen to carry the Flame, which has travelled the length and breadth of the country.’ Tony said, adding ‘I’m pleased to also be launching the ‘Be Active for the Ben Fund’ campaign and I hope to inspire other to organise and take part in activities for this year-long fundraising campaign.’