Vicente Sanchís began his basketball career as a player until he suffered an Achilles injury in the mid-1970s. Sanchís remained in the sport and became a longstanding referee, serving in matches in both his native Spain, as well as international tournaments around the world. By the early 1980s he had already began to officiate in the ACB, the top national league in the country. When he retired at the end of the 1997–98 season, he had officiated in 426 matches, including nine championship finals. In 1984 Sanchís obtained his FIBA international license, becoming a regular at major European tournaments. Outside of Europe he was one of the referees at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, officiating in the opening match between the Soviet Union and the United States. Two years later he then refereed the final of the 1990 World Championships between the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia. In 2023 Sanchís was inducted into the Spanish Basketball Hall of Fame.
Spain