Vienna, Austria. The players of the Austrian men’s national team have come together for a training camp ahead of the CEV EuroVolley 2021 qualifier that they will be contesting in early January against Bulgaria and hosts Israel in the city of Hadera. A double round-robin tournament will be running there from January 12 to 17, with each team playing the other sides in Pool B two times.
On Sunday, the players coached by Radovan Gacic (pictured) started their camp at the VIVA Sports Centre in Steinbrunn. However, the group is not yet complete, since some of the Austrian players who are competing in foreign leagues are yet to return home. This camp will be taking place in compliance with very strict COVID-19 measures. These include regular COVID-19 tests as well as continuous checks of the body temperature and keeping a health diary. This concept has already proven itself in previous camps run by the Austrian Volleyball Federation.
“I am really happy that we can work together even during this difficult time. The conditions in Steinbrunn are once again ideal and the players are highly motivated,” says Gacic. The first phase of preparation will last four days. “After a short Christmas break,” explains the head coach, “we will meet again on December 26. On December 28-29, we will play two friendly matches against Jihostroj Ceske Budejovice from the Czech Republic. These two games will give us some important information.”
From December 30 to January 2, the players will get one more time off before the final preparation phase begins. On January 10, the Austrian team will be flying to Israel. Gacic: “I hope that we will stay injury-free and I am convinced that we will play a good EuroVolley qualifier.”
The eventual winners of Pool B will secure their participation in the event that Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia and Finland will be co-hosting in the late summer of 2021. The runners-up will have to wait until early May to know their fate – i.e. until completion of all other pools postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
