Vece Paes, 1972 Olympic hockey bronze medallist, dies at 80

Vece Paes, a member of India's bronze-medal winning hockey team at the 1972 Munich Olympics and the father of tennis great Leander Paes, died early Thursday in Kolkata after a prolonged illness. He was 80 years old and had been battling advanced Parkinson’s disease, with medical treatment ongoing since his hospitalization earlier in the week.

Paes was a midfielder who helped India secure its lone field hockey medal at Munich in a period widely regarded as the sport’s golden era for the country. Beyond hockey, he was an accomplished multi-sport athlete, turning out for football, cricket and rugby at various levels. His leadership extended into administration: he served as president of the Indian Rugby Football Union from 1996 to 2002, and he later worked as a sports medicine doctor, becoming a trusted medical consultant to several major sports bodies, including the Asian Cricket Council, the Board of Control for Cricket in India, and the Indian Davis Cup team.

Born in Goa in April 1945, Paes pursued a medical education in Kolkata and integrated his medical career with sport, a combination that later shaped his influence on Indian sport’s development. He became known not only for...