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Hans India
3 days ago
- Sport
- Hans India
IOA, KSLTA mourn the loss of 1972 Olympic medallist Vece Paes
Bengaluru: The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA) on Thursday mourned the sad demise of Dr Vece Paes, the member of the bronze medal-winning hockey team in the 1972 Munich Olympics and father of Indian tennis legend Leander Paes. Dr Paes passed away in Kolkata on Thursday morning after he was admitted to Woodlands Hospital late on August 12 with multiorgan dysfunction due to lower respiratory tract & gastrointestinal tract infections. He was 80. "On behalf of everyone at IOA, expressing our deep sadness on the news of the passing of 1972 Munich Olympic Medalist Dr Vece Paes. Our thoughts and prayers with Leander and family during this incredibly difficult time," IOA shared on X. An unshakable pillar of Indian sports, Dr Paes leaves behind a legacy of achievement both in and out of competition, motivating countless athletes and sports admirers. 'On behalf of KSLTA, we express our deepest condolences to Leander, his mother Jennifer and the entire family on the passing of Dr Paes. It is indeed a sad day for sports in general as Dr Paes was a great advocate of building a strong sporting culture in the country. He was in the forefront of sports science in the country and his contributions to Indian sports eco system will be remembered forever,' expressed Sunil Yajaman, joint secretary of KSLTA. 'Dr Vece Paes was a dear friend and I personally have learnt a lot from him and I remember many sessions where I have sat and listened to his experience on handling and creating world-class sports persons. He was one of the finest human beings I have met. On behalf of KSLTA Executive Committee, I hope his family will have god's strength to bear with this irreplaceable loss. It's a personal loss for me and great loss for the Indian sporting fraternity,' he added. Born in Goa in April, 1945, Dr Paes was exceptional in both sports and academics. Beyond his athletic achievements, he was also a doctor of sports medicine and served as president of the Calcutta Cricket and Football Club. started his medical practice at NRS Medical College and Woodlands Hospital in the 1960s. In addition to hockey, he showed his skills by playing divisional cricket, football and rugby. His love for rugby led him to become the president of the Indian Rugby Football Union from 1996 to 2002. He was chairman of the AIFF Medical Commission from 2003 to 2006. He later served as chairman of the AIFF Medical Committee from 2017 to 2020.
News18
3 days ago
- Sport
- News18
Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association mourns demise of Vece Paes
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 14 (ANI): Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA) on Thursday mourned the sad demise of Vece Paes, the charismatic midfielder from the golden era of Indian Hockey. He was part of the Olympic Bronze medal-winning team in the 1972 Munich Olympics, according to a release from KSLTA. An unshakable pillar of Indian sports, the 80-year-old Dr Paes leaves behind a legacy of achievement both in and out of competition, motivating countless athletes and sports admirers. 'On behalf of KSLTA, we express our deepest condolences to Leander, his mother Jennifer and the entire family on the passing of Dr Paes. It is indeed a sad day for sports in general, as Dr Paes was a great advocate of building a strong sporting culture in the country. He was at the forefront of sports science in the country, and his contributions to the Indian sports ecosystem will be remembered forever," expressed Sunil Yajaman, Joint Secretary of KSLTA. 'Dr. Vece Paes was a dear friend, and I personally have learnt a lot from him. I remember many sessions where I have sat and listened to his experience on handling and creating world-class sports persons. He was one of the finest human beings I have met. On behalf of KSLTA Executive Committee, I hope his family will have god's strength to bear with this irreplaceable loss. It's a personal loss for me and great loss for the Indian sporting fraternity," Yajaman further added. Born in Goa in April 1945, Dr Paes was exceptional in both sports and academics. Beyond his athletic achievements, he was also a doctor of sports medicine and served as president of the Calcutta Cricket and Football Club. His son, Leander Paes, often spoke of his father's influence and inspiration in shaping his own sporting career, particularly his passion for representing India at the Olympics. In addition to hockey, he showed his skills by playing divisional cricket, football, and rugby. His love for rugby led him to become the president of the Indian Rugby Football Union from 1996 to passed away in Kolkata this morning after a brief illness. He was 80. (ANI)
Time of India
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
41st anniversary of The Times of India, Bengaluru: How KSLTA hit a fierce forehand
If tennis has a home in Karnataka, it is thanks in no small measure to SM Krishna , the late chief minister who helped shift gears and move the game along into the new millennium in his two-decade tenure as president of the state body. Krishna, for whom tennis was an emotion, once consoled himself after an electoral loss with a game played between chalked lines. He was president of Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association from 1999 to 2019. Sunder Raju, a tennis enthusiast, knocked on Krishna's door at the turn of the millennium with a line that's now a part of folklore in tennis circles. 'Sir, tennis needs you, KSLTA needs you,' Raju had said. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru The KSLTA Stadium nestled in Bengaluru's green bed Cubbon Park was completed in 1976. It had five clay courts -- four in the stadium and one just outside the main facility -- with unfin- ished stands at one end. That's how it stayed for almost 25 years until the SM KrishnaSunder Raju team took over the space armed with a rubric document titled Vision 2000. Sunil Yajaman, joint secretary of KSLTA and a regular at the stadium as a player, says the place was a favourite hangout in his younger days. 'I remember when India played Sweden in the Davis Cup in 1985, the clay courts were converted to grass courts,' Yajaman said. 'Even then I thought this place had so much potential.' Yajaman was one of the three people, along with Raju and RT Narayan, who had reached out to SM Krishna in the lead-up to the 1999 assembly elections. Raju had asked Krishna to lead the state body. 'It will be a pleasure, tennis is in my heart always,' Krishna had said. By the time the new committee took over the KSLTA, SM Krishna was chief minister. The first order of business for the new committee at the stadium was to host a big international event. The aim was to use the championship to raise funds to improve the unkempt facility. Some 12 months later, in December 2000, a new-look KSLTA stadium hosted the ATP World doubles championship. Yajaman, who was coaching at the time, had shifted to Delhi as All India Tennis Association's talent development officer. When he returned, the stadium wore a whole different look: the stands were finally complete and had bucket seats. The tightly lined clay courts had given way to three synthetic match courts in addition to the one outside. 'Krishna's love for the sport was the foundation for the growth of tennis in Karnataka,' Yajaman said. 'The way I see it, it was Sunder's vision and Krishna's leadership, with RT Narayan working tirelessly behind the scenes to pull off mega events. At that time, KSLTA went through a transformation that many of us who played on those courts in the 1980s could only dream of.' The last five years has seen the facility -- now eponymously called the SM Krishna Tennis Stadium -- take on club status. The tennis venue, spread over two acres, has a multicuisine restaurant, a mini pool and rooms for lodging. It is among the better -- if not the best -- of club houses among sporting facilities in the state. Yajaman underlined that the most significant contribution of the SM Krishna-Sunder Raju team was to take the game to Tier two sectors. 'It started in Kalaburagi in the early 2000s, Tumakuru, Chikkamagaluru and Davanagere. Now we have tennis in some 12 districts,' Yajaman noted. Rohan Bopanna , the former doubles No.1 and evergreen pro, applauded Krishna's contribution. 'I was 19 when the ATP World Doubles was held in Bengaluru. To watch so many international players here was a huge inspiration to me,' he said. 'Under Krishna's leadership, tennis went to so many districts in Karnataka,' Bopanna added. 'I was one of those players who went to all these districts, played tennis there and enjoyed the atmosphere, playing in front of spectators who were enthusiastic about the sport. A lot of youngsters give up tennis because it's too difficult to travel, getting visas is not easy, hosting this level of tournaments is a huge help to the players. ' Raju said Krishna's leadership was the key. 'Not only in Karnataka but tennis in India was routed through SM Krishna. There was an opportunity to host the ATP World Doubles Championship and within a month of his election as the President of KSLTA in 1999-2000, he promptly said, 'Yes.' India was the last venue to host an independent ATP World Doubles Championship.' The KSLTA followed up the World Doubles Championship with an assembly of international events – including the Legends Tour that brought the incomparable Bjorn Borg to the city, and WTA tournaments that saw American rockstar pros Serena and Venus Williams grace the Cubbon Park facility. It is only fitting that the KSLTA will have an additional state-of-the-art facility in the next five years. Located in Yelahanka, 20km from the Cubbon Park set-up, the new stadium will be on a seven-acre plot. The plan is two have two show courts and 12-14 additional all-weather courts. 'We want to make it a facility that will host a couple of Tour-level events in a year, along with Challengers and Futures tournaments,' Yajaman said, 'Most of all, we hope that it will serve as a tennis hub for Indian players.' Making Bengaluru a base for tennis in the country would, perhaps, be the best way to thank SM Krishna for his leadership, underscoring his love for the sport with more of the same emotion.
News18
19-06-2025
- Sport
- News18
Bengaluru To Host Billie Jean King Cup Playoffs From November 14 To 16
The playoffs will involve 21 nations divided into seven groups of three teams each. Every group tie will be hosted by a different nation, with the venues officially announced after a draw held on Thursday in London. India recently qualified for the playoffs for only the second time in its history, following a remarkable performance in the Asia/Oceania Group I tie held in Pune. India advanced alongside New Zealand after securing a 2-1 win over Korea. Both New Zealand and India had four wins each in the six-team competition. The first time India qualified for the playoffs was in April 2021 when it competed in Latvia, where Jelena Ostapenko led her team to a 3-1 victory. In other groups, Canada, Mexico, and Denmark will feature in Group A, while Group B includes Poland, New Zealand, and Romania. Group C features Slovakia, Switzerland, and Argentina. Group D will include Czechia, Colombia, and Croatia, while Group E will have Australia, Portugal, and Brazil. Germany, Belgium, and Turkey are in Group F. Sunil Yajaman, Hon. Joint Secretary of KSLTA and Tournament Director of the event, said, 'We were absolutely thrilled when India qualified for the playoffs, and their performance was outstanding. There is a lot of promise with young tennis players performing exceptionally well, and a home playoff tie can significantly boost the growth of the sport, particularly at the grassroots level, and inspire potential talent. 'We are very delighted to be chosen as one of the host countries for the playoffs. We also feel that it is a great opportunity for the Indian team to perform at its best, as all the players are well adapted to the conditions here."
The Hindu
19-06-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
KSLTA to host historic Billie Jean King Cup playoffs in Bengaluru, showcasing India's rising talent in women's tennis
The Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA) will host the Billie Jean King Cup playoffs at the S.M. Krishna Tennis Stadium here. This will be the first time that the Billie Jean King Cup playoffs will be held on Indian soil. Bengaluru will play host to Group 'G' on 14, 15 and 16 November. India has been grouped alongside Slovenia and the Netherlands. India recently qualified for the playoffs following a good performance in the Asia/Oceania Group I tie held in Pune. The five-member Indian team that featured in the qualifiers included Ankita Raina, Sahaja Yamalapalli, Shrivalli Bhamidipaty, Vaidehi Chaudhari and Prarthana Thombare. 'Hosting the prestigious BJK Cup playoffs at the S.M. Krishna Tennis Stadium will be a historic moment for us at KSLTA. We believe it will elevate India's profile in global women's tennis,' Priyank Kharge, KLSTA Senior Vice President, said. 'There is a lot of promise with young tennis players performing exceptionally well, and a home playoff tie can be a huge fillip in boosting the growth of the sport particularly in the grassroots and also inspire potential talent,' Sunil Yajaman, Hon. Joint Secretary of KSLTA and Tournament Director of the event, said.
