TOKYO (Reuters) - A 66-year-old equestrian rider is poised to become Japan's oldest Olympic representative when he climbs in the saddle at this year's Beijing Games.

Hiroshi Hoketsu, who turns 67 next month, last took part in an Olympics at the 1964 Tokyo Games where he finished 40th in the show jumping event.

At 67, Hoketsu would beat the previous record age for a Japanese Olympian set by fellow equestrian Kikuko Inoue, who was 63 when she rode at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

"It is more than likely Mr Hoketsu will take part in Beijing," the Japan Equestrian Federation's Azusa Kitano told Reuters on Thursday.

"He will be in the team dressage. He hasn't been at an Olympics since 1964, which was 44 years ago, but he has continued riding all this time."

The oldest Olympian was Swedish shooter Oscar Swahn who won his sixth Olympic medal at the 1920 Antwerp Games at the age of 72 years and 280 days.

The youngest athlete to participate at the Olympics was Greek gymnast Dimitrios Loundras, who competed in the 1896 Athens Olympics. He was 10.

DRESSAGE SWITCH

The German-based Hoketsu, who switched from show jumping to the less physically demanding dressage in his 30s, was selected for Japan's team for the Seoul Games 20 years ago.

However, he opted not to take part because of quarantine problems with his horse.

"He's the most experienced man we've got," Japanese Olympic chief Tsunekazu Takeda was quoted as saying by local media. "He's up at 5 a.m. every day. He's what horse riding is all about. I want to congratulate him with all my heart."

Hoketsu even has a fair chance of participating in the individual competitions on his horse Whisper if he can maintain his top-100 international ranking.

Japan and Australia qualified for Beijing from the regional qualifying, the Japanese pipping New Zealand to the second place on offer on the Kiwis' home soil on Thursday.

Japanese officials are expected to formally name their Olympic team next week.