The German Handball Association has prematurely extended its contracts with men’s national coach Alfred Gislason and women’s head coach Markus Gaugisch. For Gislason, the new working paper is linked to a passage.
The Icelander’s new contract, which would have expired in the summer, is dated until the end of February 2027. However, it contains a not unimportant edition. “The prerequisite for the term is successful qualification for the Olympic Games. Otherwise the contract ends in 2024,” said the association announcement, which was published on Monday (March 4, 2024).
Submit everything to the qualifying tournament
“In the coming days we will first subordinate everything to a successful Olympic qualification tournament,” announced Gislasonan. No wonder: the Icelander is playing for his job. The conditional contract extension before the elimination tournament comes as a surprise.
Feasible groups for Olympic qualification
The men will fight for their participation in the Olympics from March 14th to 17th in Hanover and will meet Algeria, Croatia and Austria. The women will play against Montenegro, Slovenia and Paraguay in Neu-Ulm from April 11th to 14th for one of two tickets for the Summer Games.
Gaugisch has an unconditional contract
Gaugisch’s working paper, on the other hand, runs without conditions until the end of June 2026. The German women can take part in the Olympics for the first time since 2008.
Gislason took over the position in spring 2020 and celebrated his greatest success to date with fourth place at this year’s home European Championships. Gaugisch has been responsible for the handball players since April 2022 and took sixth place at the World Cup in December.
DHB President: “We create clarity”
“In recent years, we have also learned from other nations that continuity is a key to sporting success. With this long-term decision for Markus Gaugisch and Alfred Gislason we are creating clarity“, said President Andreas Michelmann, justifying the new contracts.
Next on the agenda for both coaches and their teams is Olympic qualification. The men will meet Algeria, Croatia and Austria in Hanover from March 14th to 17th. The women will play against Montenegro, Slovenia and Paraguay in Neu-Ulm from April 11th to 14th for an Olympic ticket.