Lucas Braathen switched from representing Norway to Brazil mainly because of his strong personal connection to Brazil through his mother and childhood, and after a conflict with the Norwegian ski federation over sponsorship and personal freedom he felt a fresh start under Brazil suited his identity and ambitions better.

Why did Braathen switch to Brazil?

Quick Scoop

Lucas Braathen, one of the top slalom skiers in the world, decided to end his short “retirement” and come back to racing for Brazil instead of Norway.

The move combines personal roots, sporting ambition, and a desire for more freedom in how he builds his career.

Key Reasons Behind the Switch

1. Deep Brazilian roots and identity

  • Braathen has a Brazilian mother and spent important parts of his childhood in SĂŁo Paulo, where he says he first fell in love with sport playing in the streets with friends and family.
  • He has described representing Brazil as “coming full circle” and something that makes him “beyond proud,” tying his career to the country where his passion for sport started.
  • In his announcement, he spoke in Portuguese, wore Brazil’s colors, and emphasized that he wants to bring his “dance” and Brazilian style to the snow, making the choice feel like an expression of who he really is.

2. Dispute and break with the Norwegian team

  • Before the 2023–24 season, Braathen had a serious conflict with the Norwegian ski federation over his desire for more freedom with sponsors and control over his image.
  • The dispute led him to walk away from the Norwegian team right before the season and to skip defending his World Cup slalom title, which shocked many fans and insiders.
  • After months away, he decided that returning under a new flag, with a setup more aligned with his values and independence, was better than going back into the old structure in Norway.

3. Freedom, individuality, and “doing things differently”

  • Braathen is known as a flamboyant, creative skier who embraces style, showmanship, and self-expression; he and his father have long believed that to become the best, you need to “do things differently.”
  • He has spoken about wanting a one‑man style team supported by the Brazilian federation, where differences are encouraged instead of being seen as a problem.
  • He sees the switch as a chance to build a career model that fits his personality: more flexible, more expressive, and more focused on the story and inspiration around the sport as much as on results.

4. Sporting ambition and Olympic dreams

  • Brazil has never won a Winter Olympics medal, so Braathen instantly becomes one of the country’s biggest hopes for the Winter Games.
  • He has openly said he wants to compete for future World Championship and Olympic medals while representing Brazil, giving him a unique legacy opportunity: being the star of a nation that is still new in winter sports.
  • Because the Norwegian federation agreed to release him and let him keep his FIS points, he can continue racing at the top level without “starting from zero,” making the switch practically feasible as well as symbolic.

How forums and fans are reading it

In online discussions, people usually frame the question “why did Braathen switch to Brazil?” in three overlapping ways: emotional, political, and strategic.

  1. Emotional/personal angle
    • Many fans highlight his Brazilian family, childhood memories in SĂŁo Paulo, and his pride in speaking Portuguese and embracing Brazilian culture.
 * For this group, the switch feels like a heart‑led move: choosing the flag that best fits his identity, not just his passport.
  1. Political/system angle
    • Others focus more on the fallout with the Norwegian federation, seeing the move as a response to a rigid system that clashed with his need for sponsor freedom and creative control.
 * In this view, Brazil represents a fresh system where he can help shape the structure around him instead of fitting into a strict existing one.
  1. Strategic/career angle
    • Some point out that as a star in Brazil’s young winter‑sports scene, he can have a bigger impact, more visibility, and a clearer personal brand than as one of many stars on a powerhouse Norwegian team.
 * He also has a chance to make history with Brazil’s first Winter Games medal, which is a powerful career narrative.

A simple way people summarize it on forums is something like:

He didn’t just “leave Norway,” he “went home to Brazil” while also finding a system that lets him be himself and chase a unique legacy.

What this means going forward

  • For Brazil, Braathen’s switch instantly boosts their profile in winter sports and gives them a realistic shot at World Cup and Olympic success.
  • For Norway, it is a big loss of a top slalom champion and has sparked debate about how federations should handle athlete freedom and commercial rights.
  • For Braathen himself, it is the start of a new chapter where he hopes to combine high‑level results with a freer, more creative and culturally rooted way of living his skiing career.

TL;DR:
Lucas Braathen switched to Brazil because it’s his mother’s country and the place he says he discovered sport, because he wanted more freedom and a fresh start after disputes with Norway’s federation, and because representing Brazil lets him chase medals while building a unique legacy as a trailblazer for Brazilian winter sports.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.