Industry News
[Updated with Ski Austria Press Conference]
The Austrian rumor mill is in overdrive as retired Austrian ski legend Marcel Hirscher is allegedly planning a comeback to the FIS Alpine World Cup circuit. The news was first reported by Tiroler Tageszeitung and quickly picked up by other Austrian newspapers and were later confirmed by the Austrian Ski Association (ÖSV) in a press conference. Hirscher will make his comeback under the Dutch flag, the skier is a dual citizen as he was born to a Dutch mother and an Austrian father who met on a ski holiday in Austria.
The 35-year-old tech specialist is planning on training in New Zealand during the Northern Hemisphere summer in order to gain valuable FIS points and to be ready for a comeback for the 24/25 season.
The ÖSV has approved the switch to Team Netherlands, stating that while they had hoped the retired tech skier would make his comeback for Austria, they are fully supporting his change to the Dutch Ski Association (NSV). “Marcel has done enormous things for skiing and for the ÖSV. As an appreciation for this and in the sense of the internationality of skiing, the Presidential Conference of the ÖSV unanimously approved his wish for a change of association today,” explained ÖSV Secretary General Christian Scherer during the press conference.
Under FIS rules, ski racers can change the country they ski for at the start of a new season. With the FIS season running from July 1 to June 30 each year, this means Hirscher can change FIS country officially from July 1, 2024, and compete at FIS races in New Zealand for the Dutch Ski Association.
With Braathen announcing his return to competitive skiing under the Brazilian flag earlier this month after a sudden retirement announcement at the start of the 23/24 season, this would mark the return of two of the world’s best technical skiers under new flags. Hirscher has won a total of 67 World Cup events and podiumed a total of 138 times, making him one of the world’s best skiers of all time. He holds the record to this day for most Overall World Cup Titles, having won the Big Crystal Globe a total of eight times (2012-2019). Hirscher dominated the men’s circuit when he announced his retirement in September 2019. Nicknamed ‘The Flying Dutchman’ Hirscher started a ski manufacturing business in a joint venture with Red Bull called Van Deer. The ‘van’ in the name is a nod to his Dutch heritage, and ‘deer’ in German means ‘Hirsch’.
While he is a good nine years older than Braathen, Hirscher would certainly not be the oldest skier to compete. France’s Alexis Pinturault and America’s Tommy Ford are also 35 years old, while UK’s Dave Ryding is 37 years old. Several skiers manage to ski into their late 30s or even early 40s. America’s Bode Miller announced his retirement just days before his 40th birthday while France’s John Clarey retired last year at age 42. According to Swiss newspaper Blick, the comeback would only be for the 24/25 season, with a special focus on the World Championships at Saalbach in Austria in 2025.
