Indian Sports Loses a Legend: Olympic Medal-Winning Hockey Star and Multi-Sport Pioneer Vece Paes Passes Away at 80

Kolkata(The Uttam Hindu): Vece Paes, a celebrated figure in Indian sports and part of the men’s hockey team that clinched bronze at the 1972 Munich Olympics, breathed his last on Thursday at the age of 80. He was also widely known as the father of tennis great Leander Paes.

Family sources said the veteran sportsperson had been unwell for some time and was admitted to a Kolkata hospital earlier this week.

A versatile athlete, Paes primarily shone as a midfielder in hockey but also ventured into football, cricket, and rugby during his career. His dedication to Indian rugby was remarkable, serving as the president of the Indian Rugby Football Union between 1996 and 2002. With his passing, Indian sport has lost a true all-rounder whose influence went far beyond the hockey field.