Who is Vece Paes? Know India’s Olympic hockey medallist with a lasting legacy

Dr Vece Paes was a rare breed in Indian sport - a man who excelled at the highest level in hockey, shaped athletes from the sidelines and contributed immensely as a player, administrator and true pioneer of sports medicine in the country.

An astute midfielder in the Indian hockey team of the late 1960s and early 1970s, he stood out for his vision, composure, and ability to knit together defence and attack.

Vece Paes’ sporting career’s crowning moment came at the Munich 1972 Olympics, where he helped India win a bronze medal, adding to the bronze he claimed at the inaugural Hockey World Cup in 1971, held in Barcelona.

Vece Paes’ early life

Born on April 30, 1945, in Goa, Vece Paes did his schooling in Bengaluru, where he was a fine athlete, excelling in hockey.

In 1963, he moved to Kolkata to study medicine and become a doctor like his father and three siblings.

He attended St. Xavier's College and Presidency University before completing his MBBS from the prestigious Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital under the University of Calcutta.

Vece Paes’ hockey career

It was his time in Kolkata, a city rich with sporting heritage, which prompted him to take up hockey more seriously. He represented the hockey teams of legacy clubs like East Bengal and Mohun Bagan and proved himself as a talented player, winning several domestic titles like the Beighton Cup and Calcutta League.

This earned him a call-up to the Indian hockey team for the Hamburg International Cup 1966 in Germany, where he made his international debut. He was still a pre-medical student at the time.

It was the start of an international career that spanned nearly a decade, during which he became one of the most dependable midfielders in the national setup.

Vece Paes’s first major international success came at the 1971 World Cup in Barcelona, where he played a pivotal role in India’s run to a bronze medal in the tournament’s maiden edition.

The following year, at the Munich 1972 Olympics, he was again central to India’s campaign, which produced another bronze.

Known for his intelligent distribution, defensive discipline and an uncanny ability to read the game, Paes was the perfect link-man. His presence in midfield allowed India’s attacking talents more freedom and his consistency earned the respect of teammates and opponents alike.

A multi-talented sportsman, Vece Paes also played divisional cricket, football, and rugby.

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