Dr Vece Paes, a member of the 1972 Munich Olympic Games bronze-winning Indian men’s hockey team and father of legendary tennis player Leander Paes, passed away on Thursday morning after prolonged age-related illnesses, including Parkinson’s disease. He was 80.
“A multi-talented sportsman, Dr Paes is probably the only medical practitioner from India to win an Olympic medal,” said M.M. Somaya, a member of the 1980 gold medal-winning hockey team and captain of the Indian team at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. “Off the field, he was jovial and fun-loving. His contribution to Indian sport was immense,” he said.
Born in Goa on April 30, 1945, Dr Paes not only became an accomplished hockey player, he even mentored his son Leander Paes and shaped him as one of India’s all-time great tennis players, ever the guiding hand with quiet determination, standing by him through triumphs and trials alike. Twenty-four years after he was part of India’s bronze medal-winning hockey squad at the 1972 Olympics, his son Leander won a bronze at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, the first and only Olympic medal won by an Indian tennis player.
“It was a pleasure to know him well and serve alongside him on the Selection Committee in the early ’90s. He always offered a nuanced, balanced view,” said Somaya. “He was an amazing physician, the team doctor when I played at the Athens Games in 2004,” recalled Viren Rasquinha.
At the Munich Games, Dr Paes, who was also a member of the Indian hockey team that won a bronze medal at the 1971 World Cup, did not see much playing time with Ajitpal Singh anchoring the centre-half position, P. Krishnamurthy at right-half and Harmeek Singh at left-half. Yet, as a substitute half-back, he shared the Olympic stage with legends, Ganesh, Govinda, Ashok and Harbinder among them.
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Dr Paes was an Olympian, doctor, mentor and lifelong champion of sport in all its forms, all rolled in one. Beyond hockey, his expertise touched many areas. He served in the BCCI’s anti-doping programme for several years, worked with the Asian Cricket Council and was part of the Indian Davis Cup team’s medical staff for a long time.
A life rich in service to sport has now reached its final whistle. But Vece Paes leaves behind a legacy, not only in records and medals, but in the countless athletes whose journeys he quietly nurtured.
Dr Paes’ last rites will be performed either on Monday or Tuesday as the family is awaiting the arrival of his two daughters, who are both abroad. Married to Jennifer, a former India basketball team captain, he also played several other sports like football, cricket and rugby at the divisional level and served as the president of the Indian Rugby Football Union from 1996 to 2002.
By Joe Williams
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