Great Adventure at Handball Championships: Icelandic U18 Team Excels in Belgrade

A contingent of approximately 30 Icelanders is currently in Belgrade, Serbia, to support the U18 men's national handball team during their European Championship campaign. The team has demonstrated remarkable performance, winning their first five matches, many by significant margins, and is now set to compete against Germany in the quarterfinals.

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It's fun to be involved in this. One wouldn't travel to Serbia if there wasn't an occasion like this.

Hallgrímur Jónasson, a parent and former top-division goalkeeper, described the experience as a "great adventure" that everyone is enjoying. The parents have formed a close-knit group, sharing responsibilities for player support, such as providing drinks and organizing pre-game warm-ups with face paint. They have also attempted to procure drums for the games, at the players' request, though a solution has not yet been found.

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This is quite an adventure and everyone is having fun. The parent group is very close-knit. We take turns preparing bananas, powerade, and such. The spirit is very good and the cooperation is good. We meet and do warm-ups before the games like is done at major tournaments for the A-national teams. Then there's face painting and the whole package.

Despite the enthusiasm, the team faces challenging conditions, particularly the intense summer heat in Belgrade. Hallgrímur noted that the ventilation systems in two of the three sports halls used by the team were poor, making the locker rooms feel like saunas during breaks. This contrasts with the team's success on the court, where their unity and strong roster have been key factors.

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It's very hot here. So far, the Icelandic team has played in three different sports halls in Belgrade, and the last two had poor ventilation systems. The Icelandic players were just in the hallway during breaks because the locker room was like a sauna.

Hallgrímur also shared insights into his younger son, Alex Unnar, who plays as a left winger on the current team. He compared Alex to his older brother, Viktor Gísli Hallgrímsson, a national team goalkeeper and European champion with Barcelona. While both brothers share professional handball aspirations, Hallgrímur described Alex as more structured and opinionated, whereas Viktor is more go-with-the-flow. The brothers maintain a close relationship despite living in different countries, with handball serving as a strong bond between them.

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They are quite different. Alex is a planner and has opinions on how things should be done. Viktor goes with the flow more, shows up where he's told to show up and does what's laid out for him. The brothers are in very close contact even though they have lived in different countries for a long time. Handball also connects them, and Alex has the same goals regarding professionalism.