Despite knowing that they face a monumental task, the coach is clearly optimistic taking the national team of Austria to its first ever EURO Event Final Tournament and whatever the outcome of Team Austria´s performance, Sigurdsson and the national team will make handball history on home soil.
Austria´s goal for EURO 2010 is clear; they are determined to reach the Main Round of the competition. Made up entirely of players from the top three teams in HLA (A1 Bregenz, AON Fivers, Alpla Hard), the team is the least known among the experienced EURO participants, though firmly the underdog, this still makes it difficult for their opponents to precisely evaluate the new team on the block.
The heart of the team lies in the talents of centre-back Viktor Szilagyi, left-wing Konrad Wilczynski, Patrick Fölser, Max Wagesreiter, Mare Hojc, Nikola Marinovic, Bernd Friede, Vitas Ziura and Damir Djukic.
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THE COACH
Dagur Sigurdsson
”The Austrian team has great potential. EURO 2010 is the big goal for us, and no one knows how good we are and how things will change afterwards”.
Dagur Sigurdsson began his career playing middle back and has made his mark on the court with five national championship titles with Icelandic champions Valur Reykjavik. His profession has taken him to the German HBL when he played for LTV Wuppertal in 1996 and after a brief spell in Japan with Wakanuga Hiroshima, he returned to Europe to take his place with A1 Bregenz as a player-coach. Over the next few years, Sigurdsson was riding high with the Austrian Champions and also played in the EHF Champions League.
The current season finds him once again showing his skills on court in Germany with the Berlin Foxes. In addition to a strong club career, Sigurdsson has over 100 caps for the national team; his appearances include the World Championship in 1997, fourth at the European Championship 2002, and ninth at the Olympics of 2004. Coach Sigurdsson has been at the helm of the Austrian National Team since February 2008.
PAST PERFORMANCE
1994 | European Championship in Portugal | Did Not Qualify |
1995 | World Championship in Iceland | Did Not Qualify |
1996 | European Championship in Spain | Did Not Qualify |
1996 | Olympic Games in Atlanta | Did Not Qualify |
1997 | World Championship in Japan | Did Not Qualify |
1998 | European Championship in Italy | Did Not Qualify |
1999 | World Championship in Egypt | Did Not Qualify |
2000 | European Championship in Croatia | Did Not Qualify |
2000 | Olympic Games in Sydney | Did Not Qualify |
2001 | World Championship in France | Did Not Qualify |
2002 | European Championship in Sweden | Did Not Qualify |
2003 | World Championship in Portugal | Did Not Qualify |
2004 | European Championship in Slovenia | Did Not Qualify |
2004 | Olympic Games in Athens | Did Not Qualify |
2005 | World Championship in Tunisia | Did Not Qualify |
2006 | European Championship in Switzerland | Did Not Qualify |
2007 | World Championship in Germany | Did Not Qualify |
2008 | European Championship in Norway | Did Not Qualify |
2008 | Olympic Games in Beijing | Did Not Qualify |
2009 | World Championship in Croatia | Did Not Qualify |
GETTING TO AUSTRIA
As the host of the 9th Men´s European Handball Championship, Austria qualified directly for the final tournament.
