BEIJING, August 6, 2008 (AFP) - Most centenarians would be content with putting their feet up and taking it easy, but not Fu Yiquan who is perhaps the oldest Olympic volunteer ever.

The 103-year-old patrols the streets around his traditional hutong neighbourhood three times a day, offering help and assistance to Olympic spectators and tourists and ensuring trash is cleaned up.

'This is what I can do for the Olympics. I can't go to the stadiums to work, but I can make sure our community is safe and inorder,' Fu, an official 'capital security volunteer', told the Xinhua news agency.

'Hosting the Olympic Games shows that our country has grown stronger. I feel so proud,' he added.

Fu, who moved to Beijing in 1940 from Shandong province to escape invading Japanese forces, received an official invitation to attend the opening ceremony on Friday, but turned it down.

'I don't want to be any trouble to anyone. I would rather stay home and watch the live broadcast than bother people to take care of me,' he said.

While he is proud to play his part at the world's biggest sporting event, he has also suffered from Beijing being awarded the Olympics.

When the city won its bid to host the Games in 2001, Fu was on the streets when fireworks erupted when the news broke that Beijing had won.

'Suddenly the celebrating fireworks broke behind my ears just like a thunder, and my ears felt numb right away,' he recalled, adding that he never fully recovered.

But he bears no grudges.

'Whoever set out the fireworks behind me, they didn't mean to hurt me, they just wanted to celebrate Beijing's winning of the right to host the Olympics.'

Some 400,000 volunteers are taking part in the Olympics.