Former Indian sportsman and BCCI administration Vece Paes breathed his last on Thursday, August 14. Father of tennis icon Leander Paes, the 80-year-old was a leading voice in sports medicine and shaped the BCCI in more than one ways with his expertise. An Olympic medallist, Paes pioneered anti-doping in Indian sports and served till his death in Kolkata.
Vece Paes passes away at 80
Paes struggled with Parkinsons disease and passed away at the Woodlands Hospital on Thursday. He served the BCCI for 10 years, shaping the cricket board’s anti-doping policy. Vece oversaw anti-doping programs, player compliance, testing, athlete education, and the National Player Pool whereabouts system.
One of his major contributions was the introduction of bone verification for age tests. Age fraud is a serious problem in Indian cricket and Paes tackled it head on to the point of establishing fairness. It was under his tutelage that BCCI adopted the WADA anti doping code. His educational programs included legends Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and MS Dhoni to further create awareness.
“Dr. Paes made a huge contribution to BCCI handling the anti-doping and age verification departments… He introduced educational programs for anti-doping. The BCCI will always be grateful to Dr. Paes. He worked meticulously and the BCCI age-verification process had the backing of the courts for providing a level playing field for age-group tournaments,” said Ratnakar Shetty, a long-time BCCI colleague told Times of India.
India’s Sporting all-rounder
Vece Paes was part of India’s 1972 medal winning hockey team at the Olympics. He then built a career in sports medicine, serving as Team Doctor for India’s Davis Cup Team. Paes was the medical consultant for the All India Tennis Association and the Indian Olympic Association in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Before BCCI, he worked the Asian Cricket Council while serving tutor for ACC-Cricket Australia courses. His contributions helped build sports medicine programs in 18 countries. He was also the president of the Indian Rugby Football Union from 1996 for 6 years.
Paes is survived by his wife and children. His son Leander Paes is arguably India’s greatest tennis player and won the bronze at the 1996 Olympics.
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