When Alfred Gislason and Dagur Sigurdsson said goodbye to each other after their work was done, the two Icelanders hugged each other and Sigurdsson, coach of the Croatians who lost in the European Championship semi-finals, whispered a few words in his colleague’s ear. Gislason didn’t want to reveal what, he just said: “My God, it’s good that no one understood that.” For Gislason, the trainer in the service of the German Handball Federation (DHB), these were certainly words of respect and recognition.
Aiko Tanaka
Aiko Tanaka is a combat sports journalist and general sports reporter at Archysport. A former competitive judoka who represented Japan at the Asian Games, Aiko brings firsthand athletic experience to her coverage of judo, martial arts, and Olympic sports. Beyond combat sports, Aiko covers breaking sports news, major international events, and the stories that cut across disciplines — from doping scandals to governance issues to the business side of global sport. She is passionate about elevating the profile of underrepresented sports and athletes.
