Slovenia have featured three times at the Olympic Games – at Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Rio 2016 – and are well on their way for a spectacular return at Paris 2024, after securing a 27:26 win against Brazil in their opener in the Olympic Qualification Tournament #1 in Granollers, Spain.

Two of those appearances are linked to Uroš Zorman, the most capped Slovenia player in history, with 225 matches played under his belt, when Slovenia finished 11th and 6th respectively.

Zorman called an end to his playing career in 2018, but went immediately into the coaching tracksuit and was elevated to the Slovenia men’s national team coaching position in 2022, replacing Ljubomir Vranjes. Two years later, he is only two steps away from helping his team return to the Olympic Games after an eight-years hiatus, as the European side cemented its status as one of the best teams in the world.

“I have been twice as a player at the Olympic Games and I can tell you that it is truly a dream for any player involved. It does not matter which sport you are in, it does not matter what you do, it is truly a dream. I have been there, I have experienced it and it is something special,” says Zorman.

“Unlike the World Championship and the European Championship, the Olympic Games are once every four years, so it is something special. You only have 12 teams, the best in the world, so this means everything. Just to be there and be part of it.”

But for the 44-year-old Slovenia coach, being a coach is infinitely harder than being a player. A creative centre back, in the mould basically trademarked by Slovenia, with Dean Bombac and Miha Zarabec following into his footsteps, Zorman is of the firm belief that he has other responsabilities now, broader and more difficult than as a player which needed to be the catalyst in the team he played for.

“This is for sure. I would prefer always playing rather than being a coach. But it's okay. I choose this life and now I have to do the best I can to enable our current players to win,” says Zorman.

Since Zorman took over in 2022, Slovenia have been on an upward trend, first by finishing 10th at the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship and then sixth at the EHF EURO 2024, consequently earning a spot in the Paris 2024 Olympic Qualification Tournaments.

They had always brought to the forefront some excellent players, but the team itself has been on a roller-coaster ride, with a bronze medal at the 2017 IHF Men’s World Championship, followed by a failure to make it to the next edition.

To Zorman’s credit, he has instilled a siege mentality in the squad, creating a formidable unity and a strong bond between the players, who are now close to fulfilling their potential. Stars like Blaz Janc, the hummel Player of the Match against Brazil, Borut Mackovsek or Blaz Blagotinsek have both the experience and the talent to bring Slovenia closer to their dream.

What the European side proved over the last years is that they rekindled their spirit and found new ways to win, as proven in the 27:26 successful start in Granollers against Brazil, which brought them even closer to a ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Up four goals in the middle of the second half, Slovenia found themselves in a rut, down two goals with seven minutes to go, thanks to a 6:0 unanswered run by Brazil. Yet, somehow, Slovenia found the strength to come back and deliver a 27:26 win, with right wing Domen Novak scoring his first goal of the match with three seconds to go.

Not even an injury to right back Jure Dolenec, who exited the match in the first half, being replaced by right wing turned right back Blaz Janc, did not deter Slovenia, which eventually found the strength to pull the right stops and deliver a crucial win.

“We still need to play against Spain and then we need to play against Bahrain and then nobody's a favourite in these matches. Brazil also need to play against Spain and so on and so on. This was the most important match in my view and we managed to win it somehow and that is crucial,” adds Zorman.

While not for the faint of heart, Slovenia’s win against Brazil might just be decisive at the end of the Olympic Qualification Tournament in Brazil. With a plethora of sporting stars, Slovenia might just add another team sport to their already impressive collection which has earned the tickets to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Zorman will be there if Slovenia qualify and will have a new responsibility and a new role in what could be his third appearance at the Olympic Games.

“Again, I want it and then I dream about it. My players, my team, we all dream about this. This is one tournament, one special event each four years only. So you get only one chance every four years. You get only one ticket to go like this to qualify for qualification. So these are really big things to achieve,” concludes Zorman.