Ramesh Patel

Ramesh Unka Patel (born September 12, 1953 in Auckland) is a former field hockey player from New Zealand, who was a member of the national team that won the golden medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.

After a long and distinguished playing career, Patel has continued to serve hockey well as an administrator. He represented The Kiwis for fifteen years, from 1972-1986. Patel arrived just in time to earn selection on the left wing for the 1972 Summer Olympics and after that was an automatic selection. He played a variety of positions, but was inside left in the 1976 team.

At the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, it was Patel who scored the vital goal in the third period of extra time in the play-off match against Spain to enable New Zealand to reach the semi-finals. Patel played for Auckland from 1971-1986 and these days restricts himself to playing hockey at masters level.

Since 1989 he has been the Chief Executive of New Zealand Hockey and has overseen huge changes in the structure of the game in this country.