Daneu received the decoration for his extraordinary sporting achievements, as a role model to young athletes and for promoting Slovenia abroad.

The ceremony also featured a surprise for Daneu - his favourite singer Nuša Derenda sang him one of the most popular Slovenian songs "Poletna noč" (Summer Night).

The 75-year-old is best remembered as a member of the Yugoslav team which won gold at the 1970 World Championship in Ljubljana, but he was also a part of the team that won silver at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.

In his career that stretched from 1949 to 1970, Daneu won the Yugoslav national championship with Olimpija of Ljubljana six times and collected 209 caps for the national team.

This is the third decoration Pahor presented to an athlete or a sports association this year. He has already decorated skier Tina Maze after she won the Alpine Skiing Cup and the Ljubljana-based Narodni dom sports association for their contribution to the development of sports in Slovenia.

Today's ceremony capped a series of events that started on Saturday in celebration of the victorious 1970 team, a part of the promotional activities in the run-up to the forthcoming European Basketball Championships in Slovenia.

On Saturday, the victorious team - "the Golden Boys" - cut the ribbon at the inauguration of the House of Sports in Ljubljana city centre.

The house serves as sports info centre in the capital, selling tickets for all sporting events and serving as the booking hub for all sports facilities in the capital.