The President of the Republic of Slovenia: "Ivo Daneu, today's recipient of the Golden Order for Services, a personality that inspires"

The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, today hosted an award ceremony at Brdo pri Kranju, on which occasion Ivo Daneu was decorated with the Golden Order for Services for his outstanding sporting achievements, encouragement to younger generations of basketball players and other athletes, and promotion of Slovenia in the global sporting arena.

In his speech at the award ceremony, President Pahor said that Slovenia was expressing in this way its sincere and heartfelt gratitude to the award recipient Ivo Daneu for his inspiring sporting and other life achievements, as many young people identified themselves with his outstanding and exceptional sporting performance. The President stressed that it was not only talent or self-deprivation and hard work that paved the way to success but all of these and more. "This is why the inspiring power of sport is socially so much important and almost non-substitutable", added President Pahor.


Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA

Quoted below is the full text of the speech by the President Pahor:

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is also in this way that Slovenia expresses its sincere and heartfelt gratitude to the award recipient Ivo Daneu for his inspiring sporting and other life achievements. We can repeat again that award recipients, including Mr Daneu, are distinguished first and foremost by their human character. There is hardly any supreme and superlative achievement in sports and other areas of human work and creativity that is not a result of the winner's strong and morally sound personality. This facilitates the explanation of their extraordinary achievement and is simultaneously a reason for enthusiasm that exceeds the admiration by fans, extending to broad masses of people. In this respect, the way to outstanding and exceptional sporting achievements is not easy; however, they are second to none in terms of their popularity among the general public. It is particularly important that they inspire such a large number of young people. Like any other extraordinary achievement, sporting achievements are result of talent, hard work and self-deprivation. From this viewpoint, the identification of young people with their sporting heroes is remarkable.

Sooner or later, young people come to realise that it is not only talent or self-deprivation and hard work that pave the way to success but all of these and more. They come to understand that this effect is exceptionally perfect when it is shaped by a strong personal character. This is why the inspiring power of sport is socially so much important and almost non-substitutable. It is not intrusive but attractive and induces the shaping of a positive personality of every individual overwhelmed by this inspiring power. Finally, it leads us to the character and fully formed personality. This is a portrait of today's award recipient, Ivo Daneu. It is a portrait of a personality that inspires.

Award justification:

Ivo Daneu is an all-time basketball legend in Slovenia, Europe and the world. He has a truly impressive record of sporting achievements. From 1957 to 1970 he won six Yugoslav league titles with his club, AŠK Olimpija; for 14 years he was a member of the Yugoslav national team, for which he played in 209 international games; he participated in three Olympic Games, six European Championships and three World Championships; and he ended his basketball career by winning a World Championship gold medal. The whole of Slovenia cried out in excitement when in 1970, as team captain, Ivo Daneu scored his final winning basket and then lifted the World Cup trophy in triumph in front of the home audience in Ljubljana.

The excitement of generations of Slovenian youth at Ivo Daneu’s outstanding play, his movement and shooting skills, his legendary hook shot, and his remarkable team performances has permanently changed the sporting image of Slovenia. Basketball has captured the nation’s hearts and minds, been played at courts, and has become one of the most popular sports in Slovenia. As an ambassador of the 38th European Basketball Championships – EuroBasket 2013, to be held in stadiums around Slovenia – Ivo Daneu has shown once again his unwavering loyalty to basketball.

Ivo Daneu’s sporting achievements demonstrate not only his exceptional talent, but also his great human qualities, his ability to form close ties, his empathy, friendship, commitment, discipline and hard work, and his ability to overcome defeat and continue to take up new challenges. All this makes Ivo Daneu not only a great sportsman but a man of great character.

What is more, the best Slovenian basketball player of all time has shaped not only the image of Slovenian sport, but also the political image of Slovenia. In the period of the break-up of the former Yugoslavia, he was a deputy of the Socialist Party of Slovenia in the first democratically elected Slovenian Assembly, and it was he who, on behalf of the Socialist Party, read the initiative to hold a plebiscite on the independent state. The proposal was put forward in October 1990, and in December 1990, 88.5% of the country voted in favour of Slovenia’s independence. He also deserves credit for participating in the founding of the independent Olympic Committee of Slovenia and putting both the committee and sport in the new Slovenian state in general on the international map.