Why Lucas Pinheiro Braathen Is Representing Brazil Instead of Norway: Inside the Olympian’s Nationality Switch

The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan have raised an engaging question: why does alpine skier Lucas Pinheiro Braathen represent Brazil despite being born in Norway? Braathen, who competed in the men’s giant slalom today, competed for Norway in alpine skiing for five years, representing the nation at the Beijing 2022 Olympics and winning five World Cup races in the giant slalom and slalom disciplines together.

After establishing himself on the international stage with Norway, Braathen decided to switch his international allegiance to Brazil in March 2024.

The Reason For Lucas Pinheiro Braathen’s Switch To Brazil

Braathen came into the Milan Games as a favorite to grab gold in the giant slalom and slalom events. He had a highly successful season, winning the World Cup slalom in Levi and earning multiple podium finishes, including the giant slalom in Alta Badia and the slalom in Wengen.

The reason behind Braathen’s switch to Brazil came due to a dispute with the Norwegian Ski Federation. Skiers under the Norwegian Ski Federation do not control their marketing or personal image rights, resulting in a conflict between Braathen and the federation, which felt he lost “his joy of living” due to the Norwegian system. This led to his retirement from alpine skiing in October 2023.

Less than five months after he retired, Braathen announced that he would be coming back to alpine skiing, this time while representing Brazil. He qualifies for dual citizenship because his mother was born in Brazil. The Norwegian federation also agreed to release his registration, easing the International Ski Federation’s process for changing his nationality.

Born to a Norwegian father and a Brazilian mother, Braathen spent a short time in Brazil with his mother after his parents separated when he was three, before returning to Hokksund, Norway, to live with his father.

Braathen’s Performance In Milan

Braathen marked his second Olympic campaign on a high note today, dominating Run 1 of the men’s giant slalom on the Stelvio course in Bormio. He finished with a time of 1:13.92, which was the fastest time out of all the starters and a second ahead of Marco Odermatt, who followed in second.

This positioned Braathen as the leader going into Run 2 of the giant slalom. In Run 2, Braathen finished with a total time of  2:25.00, winning the gold medal in the event. This win for Braathen marked South America’s first Winter Olympic medal, a historic start to his Olympic career with Brazil. A great start for Braathen on an individual note as well, after his DNFs at the Beijing 2022 Games.