At the end of August 2008, 88 per cent of all Icelanders sat before the television, in order to be part of the handball fever along with its players who had reached the Olympic Final. In Beijing, the team lost the final match to France, but in the end this was the biggest Icelandic sport success of all time.

The team and coach stood in Reykjavik and were celebrated as heroes for their Olympic silver medal win. It looked as if the star of the national team was on the rise and Icelanders in club teams all over Europe celebrated this success.

Many years ago, there were also more revelries EHF EURO 2002 in Sweden, when the players from the volcanic island made it to the semi-final, however after defeats at the hand of Germany and Denmark, the team missed out on a medal for the first time.  

The problem of the Icelandic national team was the absence of consistency for many years; the year 2008 is also proof of this because shortly before winning Olympic silver, the team failed to qualify for the 2009 World Championship in Croatia.

Meanwhile however the aggressive hot-blooded handball players are a coordinated team, which ranks at all tournaments among the extended circle of favourites.

The first non-Olympic medal won by the team of Coach Gudmundur Gudmundsson came at the EHF EURO 2010 in Austria. After the semi-final defeat against France, the eventual champion, the team set themselves against Poland in the battle for third place.

The team, who all play abroad, did not only captivate the crowd with its combative spirit, but also with the individual class and style of the players.

Between the posts, Björgvin Gustafsson proved himself to be one of the ten best goalkeepers in Europe and pivot Robert Gunnarsson is there to ensure spectacular goals.

In the back court Alexander Petersson is not only searching for every opportunity to turn to his advantage, but is also a great innovator, and on the outer court Gudjon Valur Sigurdsson is the man known for speed and impact of actions.