The national handball team of Ukraine has big traditions in the sport representing the time-honoured school of soviet handball. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the National Team of Ukraine took part in the European Championships for the first time in 2000 when this top sporting event was held in Croatia.
This will be their fifth appearance at the European Championship and the team led by Zaharov Leonid Aleksandrovich, who took over in 2007, are still waiting for their big breakthrough. The team is based on the prominent Ukrainian handball club Zaporozhye with some of the top players coming from the European leagues. Ukraine secured their place in the final tournament coming from Group 7 of the qualification phase, also defeating the strong Spanish side. They have a good mix of young and upcoming players meshed with the experience of seasoned handball veterans. The team have prepared intensely having attended numerous training camps and international tournaments.
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THE COACH
Zaharov Leonid Aleksandrovich
”The determination of Team Ukraine is undeniable!”
Coach Aleksandrovich was born in Feodosia City in the Crimea region of Ukraine. Aleksandrovich spent his entire professional career playing for the Army Sport Club, one of the strongest teams in the Ukraine at this time, having taken up the sport at the age of 22. Parallel to his sporting career, he studied at the Odessa Pedagogical Institute, named after Ushinsky in 1972 (physical culture faculty), where he graduated with a Master of Sport. Zaharov ended his professional playing career in 1978 to focus on professional coaching. He stayed with the Army Sport Club in Kiev, where he was head coach for many years.
His coaching assignments have taken him to Portugal, where he spent time with HC ”Benfika”, the African continent and HC ”Africano” in Tunisia, where he spent three years. He coached in Saudi Arabia before returning to Ukraine and taking up his position with the national team in 2007. For his first appearance at an EHF Euro, Coach Aleksandrovich is determined to take his team out of the preliminaries and into the Main Round.
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 | 12th Place |
2000 | Olympic Games in Sydney | Did Not Qualify |
2001 | World Championship in France | 7th Place |
2002 | European Championship in Sweden | 11th Place |
2003 | World Championship in Portugal | Did Not Qualify |
2004 | European Championship in Slovenia | 15th Place |
2004 | Olympic Games in Athens | Did Not Qualify |
2005 | World Championship in Tunisia | Did Not Qualify |
2006 | European Championship in Switzerland | 12th Place |
2007 | World Championship in Germany | 14th Place |
| 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
Though Ukraine won only 5 out of 8 qualification matches, the national team ranked second in group 7 and this was enough to earn them a place in the final tournament at EURO 2010.
