Dr Vece Paes, Olympic Hockey bronze medallist, father Leander Paes, dies at 80 in Kolkata

Dr Vece Paes, 1972 Munich Olympic hockey bronze medallist and father of Indian tennis legend Leander Paes, passed away in Kolkata early Thursday. He was 80. The former midfielder, remembered as a pioneer in sports medicine, died at around 3 AM due to multiple organ failure after a prolonged illness.

Admitted to a private hospital on August 12 with multi-organ dysfunction caused by respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, Dr Paes had been under long-term care for Parkinson’s disease. Bed-bound for months, he was a regular patient at Woodlands Hospital’s home care service.

Born in Goa in April 1945, Paes represented India in hockey and was part of the team that clinched bronze at the 1972 Munich Olympics. An all-round sportsman, he also played cricket, football, and rugby, later serving as president of the Indian Rugby Football Union from 1996 to 2002.

A trained doctor, Paes became a respected figure in sports medicine, working with the Asian Cricket Council and the BCCI on anti-doping programmes. His legacy extends beyond his own achievements — with son Leander winning the 1996 Atlanta Olympics bronze in tennis, they remain the only father-son duo in Indian sports to claim Olympic medals.