Industry News
This morning, March 7, Lucas Braathen confirmed his comeback to FIS Alpine World Cup racing in a press conference at the Red Bull hangar in Innsbruck, Austria. The 23-year-old athlete opened the conference by speaking in Portuguese and then switched to English, declaring proudly, “I am returning to the sport of Alpine racing and I am doing that in the country where I discovered my love for sports. I am very proud to represent Brazil.”
“Dancing on the snow is where I’m meant to perform,” Braathen said.
Braathen is the son of a Norwegian-Brazilian couple and announced his retirement in October 2023, after a falling-out with the Norwegian Ski Association. Norwegian athletes do not hold the rights to their own personal image or marketing rights. After an almost six-month break from competitive skiing, the dual-citizen admits he was missing skiing, saying in the press conference: “During my time away from the sport I discovered how hard it was not to get up every day early in the morning in the pursuit to be the best at the sport that I love.”
Anders Pettersson, the President of the Brazilian Snow Sports Federation, joined the conference, stating “It is an enormous opportunity and it can be a game-changer for us.” Pettersson himself is a dual citizen, who was born in Brazil to Swedish parents. Pettersson is hoping to advance snow sports in Brazil, pointing out that the country had sent athletes to the last nine Olympic Winter Games. While the nation is yet to win an Olympic Winter medal, it did win a medal in Snowboard Cross in the Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, Korea, when snowboarder Zion Bethonico won bronze.
“What I miss is pursuing becoming the best in the world. So that is the dream. To become the best again. So I will need to win in technical disciplines. Coming into the first championships with the Brazilian flag on my back is something I am very keen to make happen.”
During the at times emotional press conference Braathen admitted that he had initially thought he would never return to skiing. “I bought a one-way ticket to Brazil and I tried to get away from everything that had to do with sports and career,” the former Norwegian skier stated. “What was really flattering was to feel the support from my fans and my competitors,” he said, barely able to hide his emotions. Braathen explained that over time it became more and more difficult to watch this season’s FIS races and not be part of it, “It’s not waking up every day and not thriving to became the best at something I am good at.”
In January the tech specialist took up the offer by the Brazilian Snow Sports Federation to explore a comeback. He admits it was not an easy decision for him to change FIS countries as it meant saying goodbye to teammates and coaches he had known and trained and lived with for years. “There are huge sacrifices and downsides and I had to let go of my former teammates. I told every one of them I would never be who I am today without them. I would never have been the man I am today if it hadn’t been for them. I feel privileged to have been with them on this journey and I am happy to go into this new chapter with them as my friends.”
”What hurts the most is the sacrifice of my former teammates. When it comes to the fans, I am so grateful for their support. We have shared so much together and I hope that as many as possible will support me for the person I am and not just the flag I represent.”
The exact format of how Braathen will be able to train was not discussed, but both Pettersson and Braathen stressed that it would come down to flexibility and cooperation. Given the limited training opportunities for Braathen in Brazil — Brazil has no natural snowfields — it is safe to assume that the majority of training will be conducted in Europe, potentially in cooperation with other national ski teams. It is not unheard of that ski nations will collaborate for training as the sport is simply a very resource-demanding sport. Braathen confirmed that he had given up his apartment in Oslo and had been spending a lot of time in Europe, residing either near the Atomic factory in Austria or with his girlfriend in Paris, France.
What Braathen was able to confirm was that the split from the Norwegian Ski Federation was amicable and that the federation allowed him to maintain his FIS points. This will enable Braathen to continue competing in the World Cup circuit as otherwise he would have had to compete on the European Cup or NorAm level in order to regain the points to qualify for World Cup competitions.
- Related: Outpouring of Support for Lucas Braathen from Fellow Athletes After Retirement Announcement
Thanks to his outgoing personality, Braathen has the support of many valuable sponsors, such as Red Bull, Oakley, and ski manufacturer Atomic. The ski racer launched his first own ski-line in collaboration with Atomic and he admits that he has enjoyed the creative side of testing and developing a ski. He will continue being a ski developer for Atomic. This was also the queue for, Robert Trenkwalder, Head of Athletes Special Projects at Red Bull, to join the stage and present Lucas Braathen with a special, new helmet, painted with the Brazilian flag and of course the Red Bull logo. Trenkwalder emphasized, “I am very very happy that you are back in the World Cup. You are the first Brazilian skier who is on top of the world.”
It will indeed be a very exciting season with Braathen back at the FIS Alpine World Cup circuit for 24/25. Vamos dançar — Let’s dance!
