Anti-doping Olympic volunteer 'excited'

A Worcestershire man has said going to work in the anti-doping team at the Olympics in Paris will be an amazing experience.

Glenn Faeroy, from Redditch, has watched every Olympic competition since 1976 and understands his role comes with huge responsibility.

Mr Faeroy said the role was "super exciting" and he couldn't wait to go to the event to work with the athletes.

He has undergone training for his role where he learned that it was "not just holding a piece of paper and asking questions, you really have to be focused".

As part of the anti-doping team, he will approach athletes for tests either before or after their appearance.

"We have to stay with them from that point. If they say yes, wherever they go we have to go with them - they can't be out of sight at all.

"If they say no and they haven't got a reason for it, that's a violation and they could literally be kicked out of the Olympics,' he added.

'One of the world's greatest sporting competitions'

He said sports had suffered reputationally with drugs cheats and hoped it would not happen in Paris.

"I don't think you need to cheat because hopefully no-one else is cheating either and it knocks the sports down and gives it a bad name.

"You're watching all these athletes and they're getting all these fantastic times and you're thinking 'is that really you doing it or have you taken something?'"

Mr Faeroy said the role would come with a lot of responsibility and careers could be destroyed if the team got it wrong.

But he said he would enjoy it and feel "proud" as well as "joy and excitement" at being involved in one of the world's greatest sporting competitions.