ESP - Retirement beckons for Pedro Ferrandiz

ALCOBENDAS/MADRID (Pedro Ferrandiz Foundation) - Pedro Ferrandiz, Founder and President of the foundation that bares his name, is retiring after dedicating the last 20 years to the non-profit making institution.

Mr Ferrandiz created the Pedro Ferrandiz Foundation back in 1991 and it has since been devoted to the collection and diffusion of basketball heritage.

To this day, it holds the biggest basketball library in the world as well as an impressive museum.

The International Documentation and Research Centre is officially recognised by organisations such as FIBA, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the WABC (World Association of Basketball Coaches), the NBA and all national basketball federations.

Since its creation, the Foundation has also served as a platform for the most renowned speakers from world basketball.

Last week, Mr Ferrandiz took part in the 100th forum organised by the Foundation in association with the newspaper AS.

Jose Luis Saez, the President of the Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB), was a guest at the forum and paid tribute to Mr Ferrandiz for his contributions to basketball.

"What you have done here (with the Foundation) is truly unique," he said to Mr Ferrandiz.

"We are talking about the biggest centre of research and documentation for basketball in the whole world.

"Thank you, Pedro, for this and for helping me out when I was taking my first steps and starting my international career."

In the coming months, the FEB will take over some of the operations of the Pedro Ferrandiz Foundation in Spain.

One of the main goals will be to continue adding to an already impressive collection in the lead-up to the 2014 FIBA World Championship which the country will host.

Mr Ferrandiz is a basketball icon and was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2009.

He had a very successful coaching career in the 1960s and 1970s, leading Real Madrid to four European Cups, 12 Spanish League titles and 11 Spanish Cups.

In 1976, he co-founded and served as President of the World Association of Basketball Coaches.

The IOC awarded him the Olympic Order back in 1998. To date, he is the only basketball coach to have received that honour.

Two years later, he was bestowed with the FIBA Order of Merit.

Those who know Mr Ferrandiz know he will never retire completely from the world of basketball.

In fact he was recently named Honorary President of the International Basketball Foundation (IBF), a body created by FIBA aiming at continuing the great work done by Mr Ferrandiz.

FIBA