Tributes paid to top athletics official Roy Rogers

Rogers was known by top athletes across the world

Roy Rogers, one of Britain's top athletics officials and a man who saw Roger Bannister break the four-minute mile barrier in 1954, has died aged 79.

In a 50-year career, Rogers was a judge at the Olympics in Barcelona in 1992 and at three Commonwealth Games.

He was also president of the Wenlock Olympian Society - the forerunner of the modern Olympic movement.

"Top athletes around the world knew and respected Roy," the Society's Helen Cromarty told BBC Radio Shropshire.

"He was a dignified, common-sense man with such a breadth of knowledge of the athletics world. He'll be greatly missed."

Rogers, originally from Bristol, began judging in 1953, Coronation Year, at the age of 21 during National Service in the RAF.

In May the following year he was on a Central Council of Physical Recreation course in Oxford and was a spectator when Bannister made sporting history.

Rogers became qualified across the spectrum of athletics disciplines and freely imparted this knowledge and enthusiasm to others.

After service as Combined Services Officials Secretary, Rogers was appointed the UK National Officials Secretary and during the late 1980s and early 1990s he was the meeting director at all the UK televised international meetings.

Subsequently he was ever present as a track official or timekeeper. Famously he disqualified all the teams in a critically important 4x400m relay race at the Combined Services Championships at Aldershot.

Rogers, a life member of the Midland Counties Athletics Association, retired seven years ago from full-time involvement in athletics, but retained close links with local sporting bodies.