It would be difficult to find someone happier than Earl Jones at Rio 2016. The 57-year-old Canadian is taking part in his first Olympic Games. A former boxer, he is volunteering at the boxing venue, Riocentro, marking the realisation of a dream that began more than 30 years ago.

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Jones had his sights on representing Canada at the Moscow 1980 Games. He came close to making it through the qualification phase, but was eliminated at the end. The subsequent Canadian boycott of the Games meant he would not have been able to compete anyay, and his boxing career wound down. But his Olympic dream lived on.

A champion's comeback from adversity

A stroke stopped Jones from volunteering at London 2012, and resulted in him losing feeling in the right side of his body.

Four years later, after a long selection process, he finally achieved his goal in Rio. “When I got the confirmation, my dream came true,” he said.

Jones has an important role to play at Rio 2016. Along with his colleagues, he is responsible for keeping the field of play tidy and clean, and providing water and seating for competitors between rounds. “Many athletes don’t want any water,” Jones said, noting that he relies on visual signs to determine an athlete’s ringside needs.

Jones has already seen 165 of the more than 220 bouts to have taken place at Rio 2016. “I’ve watched more fights in one month than during the last 40 years,” he said.

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The Riocentro venue was packed when Robson Conceição took lightweight gold for Brazil (Photo: Rio 2016/Paulo Mumia)

Boxing in the blood

Halifax, a city on Canada’s east coast, is Jones’s hometown. His parents Leroy and Margaret were military cooks and had an army to feed at home and at the barracks – the family included four girls and five boys, all of whom were boxers. Earl’s father ran a neighbourhood gym, and instilled a love of athletic competition in his sons.

Though Jones’s boxing career was a short one (he only had four fights), he acquitted himself well. On one occasion, a 3-2 decision denied him the Canadian national title and he once sparred with heavyweight Trevor Birbick, the last man to fight (and beat) Muhammad Ali, in 1981.

“He hit me three times and I gave up,” joked Jones.

In his view, the most interesting aspect of the sport is reconciling technique with emotion. “Boxing teaches you discipline with heart,” he said.

Taking the Olympic spirit back to Canada

Since leaving sport, Jones has made a career in social work. His current job is at the Alexander Community Centre in a deprived district of Ottawa, the Canadian capital, where he works with children aged 8-12.

“One of our projects has 70 boys taking part daily,” he said.

Once back in Canada, Earl plans to follow in his father’s footsteps and open a boxing gym for youngsters in the area. “I want to take the Olympic spirit back with me to the children at home,” he said.

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