Almost the entire Danish national volleyball team is battling illness ahead of the European Championship in Finland, says sports director Sebastian Mikelsons.
The team is facing several issues, but the sports director expects the full squad to be ready when Denmark face Finland in the opening match on Thursday.
The Danes have traveled to the Finnish city of Tampere, where Denmark will play all five of its group matches; the group also includes the Netherlands, Estonia, Belgium, and Serbia.
However, problems have arisen before the tournament has even begun, says national team Sports Director Sebastian Mikelsons. Eight to ten players are suffering from food poisoning.
"Almost the entire squad is struggling with upset stomachs," says Mikelsons. "It’s not exactly ideal when it comes to getting enough food and fluids, considering the match is tomorrow."
The team suspects a specific dinner was the culprit.
"A great many of them ate something bad—likely the day before yesterday (Monday). We suspect it happened during the bus ride from Helsinki Airport to Tampere. The stop we made at a restaurant for dinner didn't agree with eight, nine, or ten of the players."
The players have been struggling with upset stomachs since then, but things could be worse, he notes.
"Everyone has been able to leave their hotel rooms and complete two-hour training sessions, so we expect everyone to be ready to play."