One year ago, the World Championship was decided on home soil, this summer it was the Olympic Games in Paris, and now the European Championship games are approaching – initially in Hungary – for the Swedish women's handball team.
With a club season start last fall, the European top players have basically played handball for 15 consecutive months with little time for rest.
People have been talking about the players' workload for the past ten years, but nothing happens. It's rather that things are added, says national team coach Tomas Axnér ahead of Thursday's European Championship premiere against North Macedonia.
No Umbrella Drinks
There have been extremely short breaks before and after the Olympic Games, but it's not directly about a proper vacation.
In an Olympic Games, players need to perform at their best level – then they're not lying on a beach with umbrella drinks and reading books, says Axnér.
Axnér is also the daily coach of the Danish champion club Esbjerg, which also plays in the Champions League. In the team, he has ten Danish and Norwegian Olympic medalists.
We've already played 19 competitive matches this fall. Then the players had a week off after the Olympic Games.
Should the European Championship be removed from the calendar when it's an Olympic year?
Yes, I think so. Definitely.
This championship, I think we'll see that many players who were in the Olympic Games are not here now due to injuries, wear and tear, and mental fatigue.
Axnér gets support from veteran Nathalie Hagman.
It would have given a little more space to give a break after an Olympic summer and start the club season a bit later. The club business just keeps rolling – if we didn't have a championship now, we could have played with the club team during this period instead, says the right-back.
No Christmas in Sweden
Hagman has it extra tough this year. When Sweden's medal matches are played in Vienna, Austria, the European Championship ends on December 15 – the day before Christmas Eve, a league match awaits the Swede with the Romanian club Ramnicu Valcea.
We don't even get a break after the championship. It'll be the first Christmas I don't get to go home.
On December 29, a new league match awaits.
So it'll be training between the meatballs, says Nathalie Hagman with a crooked smile.
Sweden's group stage matches:
28/11: North Macedonia (20.30)
30/11: Hungary (18.00)
2/12: Turkey (20.30)
Sweden plays its group stage and potential intermediate round in Debrecen, Hungary. The two top teams in six four-team groups advance to the intermediate round, where two six-team groups are created.
The two top teams in the six-team groups advance to the semifinals, which, like the medal matches, are played in Vienna, Austria.
The European Championship takes place from November 28 to December 15.
