– Of course we hope to take more “selfies” and so on, but we are here to play and win as much as possible, said Stine Bredal Oftedal, captain of the Norwegian national handball team.

Hundreds of children and teenagers have been on site this weekend in Hamar and Lillehammer to follow the Norwegian handball girls in preparation for the WC on home soil.

They had to watch Norway’s 31-21 win over Iceland on Saturday.

But many had to take the drawer home – without securing a group photo with their large passenger car.

– We want to make a lot of contributions, but there’s something about that number that we have to be wary of. “It’s a shame that it’s like that, but it’s important for us,” said veteran Camilla Herrem.

National team coach Thorir Hergeirsson and the Norwegian national team have implemented strict measures before and during the WC.

Minimize the possibility of close contact with outside parties.

– We did what is usually done in top sport when there is an important competition. You probably didn’t have much contact with all kinds of people at that time, you tried to limit your circle of friends.

The captain added that the championship at home made it even more challenging.

– We praiding, however, is generally very strict. Trying to isolate us as much as possible. We are in Norway, of course there are a lot of families around, a lot of Norwegians want to be close, so we just have to try to keep our distance.

Fear of “nightmare on home turf”

The last time Norway became champions on home soil, at the 2010 European Championships, the Norwegian national team had a blast.

– E“I remember it very well because we were about to lose a team from the tournament,” Hergeirsson said.

At the start of the intermediate stages, an infectious disease struck the Norwegian squad and almost half the team was infected with the dreaded Norovirus.

– As our good doctor Ola Sand says; then people have to eat shit, and that’s not good, said the national team manager.

Norway suffered a humiliating 19-24 defeat to Sweden in the first match of the intermediate round, after some of its biggest stars were dropped from the match.

– ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Thorir also remembers very well that we had half the team watching there in 2010, recalls Camilla Herrem and laughs.

Norway, on the other hand, got their revenge, as they just beat Sweden in the final 25-20 and earned their fourth EC win in a row.

Ask for understanding

In light of this and the ongoing flu, both national team coaches and players hope fans understand that teams must take precautions during this year’s championship at home.

– D“The last thing you want is to miss a lot of games because you got sick, because you made mistakes here and there and didn’t take all the precautions you should,” said Herrem, who played nearly 300 international games with a flag on his chest.

– Sto try to give back what we can and, because I understand that it’s important for us to give back to those who come and watch, he added.

The national team coach underlined that whatever happens on the pitch is the most important thing and he is not afraid that fans will be too disappointed that close contact with the stars will be limited.

– Life consists of ups and downs, as well as ups and downs. “I believe that the ups and downs of handball players outweigh the downs, so I think we will be forgiven and understood for that,” the 59-year-old replied.

But despite the strict rules, the players also promised that fans would get it. Players will still hand out pre-signed autograph cards.

If the distance is far enough, the players can also line up in the picture.

– Swe must be able to contribute to them without taking too much risk, but the most important thing is to be wise, emphasized Henny Reistad, who was supported by the captain;

– EI think getting the title on home soil and seeing us in action – isn’t that the main attraction?