Mats Olsson (handballer)

Mats Olsson
Mats Olsson
Personal information
Full name	Mats Åke Olsson
Born	12 January 1960 (age 65); Malmö, Sweden
Nationality	Sweden
Height	196 cm (6 ft 5 in)
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Youth career
	Team
	Dalhems IF
Senior clubs
Years	Team
-1980	Dalhems IF
1980-1988	Lugi HF
1988-1994	Teka Santander
1994-1996	Ystads IF
1996-1997	Caja Cantabria
National team
Years	Team
1979-1997	Sweden
Teams managed
2001-2005	Portugal (assistant)
2005-2012	Portugal
2005-??	Norway women's team (goalkeeping coach)
2014-2021	Sweden goalkeeping coach
2021-	Elverum Håndball goalkeeping coach
Medal record
Men's Handball
World Championship
European Championship

Mats Åke Olsson (born 12 January 1960) is a Swedish retired handball goalkeeper, who is currently goalkeeping coach for Norway women's national handball team and Elverum Håndball.

He was inducted into the EHF Hall of Fame in 2024.^[1]

Player career

Olsson played 294 caps for Sweden between 1979 and 1997. He competed at 4 summer olympics and 6 World championships. Mats Olsson started his career at Dalhems IF in Malmö. After that he played for LUGI HF, one of the most prominent Swedish clubs at the time.

As a professional player he represented Caja Cantabria in the Spanish elite league.

Olympics

In 1984, he was a member of the Swedish handball team which finished fifth in the Olympic tournament. He played three matches.

Four years later he was part of the Swedish team which finished fifth again in the Olympic tournament of the 1988 Olympics. He played all six matches.

At the 1992 Games he won the silver medal with the Swedish team. He played all seven matches.

His last Olympic appearance was at the Atlanta Games in 1996 when he won his second silver medal with the Swedish team. He played six matches.

Coaching career

After his professional retirement he switched to a civilian career in the private sector before, once again, returning to Caja Cantabria, this time as general manager for the club.

In 2005, Olsson became manager for the Portugal men's national handball team. The same year he signed a three-year deal with the Norwegian handball association, as a head coach for the Norwegian women's goalkeepers.^[2]

On 14 January 2018, Olsson was appointed as a member of the Commission of Coaching and Methods of International Handball Federation by the IHF Council in its meeting held in Zagreb (Croatia) on the fringes of the 2018 European Men's Handball Championship.

He's been the goalkeeping coach for Swedish men's national handball team between 2014 and 2021. As of 2021 he is still goalkeeping coach for the Norwegian women's national team, and for Elverum Håndball.^[3]

Player clubs

Coaching teams

Resume

Caps/Goals: 294/2 (1979–1997)
World champion 1990 (in Prague, Czechoslovakia)
European champion 1994
World champion runner up 1997, in Kumamoto, Japan
Twice olympic silver medalist: Barcelona (1992) and Atlanta (1996)
3rd place in the 1993 and 1995 World championships
Participated in four Summer Olympics: Los Angeles (1984), Seoul (1988), Barcelona (1992) and Atlanta (1996)
EHF Hall of Fame in 2024^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b "New legends of the game inducted into EHF Hall of Fame". European Handball Federation. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
^ TT/SvD (2005-04-23): "Mats Olsson till Portugal och Norge". Svd.se. retrieved 27 December 2013.
^ Fredrik Hesselgren (15 April 2021). "Mats Olsson väljer Elverum" [Mats Olsson chooses Elverum] (in Swedish). Handbollskanalen. Retrieved 20 January 2025.

External links

profile

[hof-1] "New legends of the game inducted into EHF Hall of Fame". European Handball Federation. Retrieved 28 January 2025.

[tt050423-2] TT/SvD (2005-04-23): "Mats Olsson till Portugal och Norge". Svd.se. retrieved 27 December 2013.

[3] Fredrik Hesselgren (15 April 2021). "Mats Olsson väljer Elverum" [Mats Olsson chooses Elverum] (in Swedish). Handbollskanalen. Retrieved 20 January 2025.

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