LEGENDARY Bolton wrestling star Albert Aspen will join some of the most famous names in British sport at a celebration in London on Saturday to mark the 50th anniversary of the Tokyo Olympics.

The 80-year-old former roofer has accepted an invitation from the British Olympics Association to attend the anniversary luncheon at the capitals Guoman Tower Hotel with his partner Edna Dunn.

The Bolton Olympic Wrestling Club stalwart competed at featherweight at the 1964 Olympics his second games as a competitor and attended two further Olympics, as manager-coach at Mexico in 1968 and coach at Montreal in 1976.

He had two fights in Tokyo, losing to the eventual silver-medallist, the Bulgarian Stancho Kolev.

But memories of 1964 are bitter-sweet for the pensioner from Hulton Lane, because he had to fly back from Japan three days early after being told of the tragic death of his nephew, 15-year-old Ronnie Aspen, who was killed in a fencing accident at school. That meant he missed the Buckingham Palace reception hosted by the Queen that was laid on for all the British Olympians, including the gold medallists, Ann Packer, Lynn Davies, Mary Rand and Ken Matthews.

Saturday will bring back a lot of memories, not all of which will be particularly happy ones, said Aspen, whose son Brian also became an Olympian and won gold at the Commonwealth Games in Christchurch.

Even though Id been to the Rome Olympics in 1960, it was a great experience and it was nice to receive a card from Seb Coe (chairman of the BOA) congratulating us on what we achieved back in those days.

Sadly, my two wrestling mates mates, the heavyweight Denis McNamara from West Ham and a bantamweight Walter Pilling from Bradford, have passed away. But I'll remember them tomorrow.