Lucas Braathen confirmed his comeback to alpine ski racing on Thursday. The 23-year-old Norwegian, who unexpectedly announced his retirement in Sölden last October, will now compete for Brazil, his mother’s home country.
“I’m happy to represent Brazil in the World Cup and at the Olympic Games,” Braathen said in Portuguese in Salzburg at a press conference organized by his sponsor Red Bull.
Braathen specializes in the technical disciplines of slalom and giant slalom. He has competed in 69 World Cup races so far and won five of them. In 2022, he went from 29th place in the first run to first place in the Wengen Slalom – up to this point, no runner had ever made a greater leap to victory. He also won the slalom ball that season.
The hurdles for a change of nation are manageable within the FIS rules for a world-class athlete like Braathen if he has an actual family connection to the new country.
The Norwegian association would have to agree to the change, but ultimately the FIS can also decide without this approval. The most prominent example of a change of association is the Austrian Marc Girardelli, who competed for Luxembourg.
Braathen had a falling out with the Norwegian Ski Association before the start of the current World Cup season. The background was the association’s rather restrictive interpretation of personal and marketing rights. The conflict was sparked by the fact that Braathen had advertised for a clothing company without permission from the Norges Skiforbund.
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