Dr Vece Paes, a member of India’s bronze medal-winning hockey team at the 1972 Munich Olympics and father of tennis player Leander Paes, has died in Kolkata at the age of 80 after a battle with advanced Parkinson’s disease, Hockey India announced on Thursday.

Born in Goa in April 1945, Paes was a midfielder during what Hockey India described as the “golden era” of Indian hockey. He was part of the Indian squad that secured the country’s only medal at the 1972 Olympics — a bronze in men’s field hockey — defeating the Netherlands 2-1 in the play-off match. Germany took gold, while Pakistan claimed silver. Paes also represented India at the 1971 Hockey World Cup in Barcelona, where the team finished third.

In 1996, 24 years after his father’s triumph, Leander Paes won a men’s singles bronze at the Atlanta Olympics — a first for Asia and still India’s only medal in the discipline.

Hockey India president Dr Dilip Tirkey expressed his condolences, saying: “It is a sad day for us in Hockey India. The passing of Dr Paes draws the curtains on a great era of hockey. The Olympic medal in Munich is a testament to his grit and determination. I had the good fortune of meeting him a few times and was always inspired by his passion for sports. He was a strong advocate for inculcating a sporting culture in the country. We at Hockey India express our deepest condolences to his wife Jennifer, son Leander and their whole family. We stand together in their grief.”

Beyond his hockey achievements, Paes was a doctor of sports medicine and served as president of the Calcutta Cricket and Football Club. He also played divisional cricket, football and rugby, later becoming president of the Indian Rugby Football Union from 1996 to 2002.