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Why a Norwegian world champion skier has switched his allegiance to Brazil

Norwegian skier Lucas Braathen, last season's World Cup slalom champion, revealed Thursday he will represent his mother's country Brazil next season after a dispute with his national federation.

Published: 7 March 2024 16:02 CET
Pictured is Lucas Braathen.
Lucas Braathen has switched his allegiance to Brazil after a dispute with the Norwegian federation. File photo: Norway's Lucas Braathen kisses his globe after winning the Men's Slalom general standing of the FIS Ski World Cup Finals in El Tarter, Andorra on March 19, 2023. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP)

Braathen announced his shock retirement last October aged just 23 following a long-running conflict with the Norwegian federation over athlete image rights, which escalated when he took part in a photo shoot for a clothing brand that was unauthorised.

“I’m going to come back and ski for Brazil. I’m very proud of it,” Braathen, who has five World Cup victories in his career, told a press
conference organised by his sponsor in Salzburg, Austria.

Braathen also posted a message in Portuguese on social media: “The time has come, Brazil: let’s dance.”

He said the Norwegian federation had agreed to allow him to “transfer his points” acquired in the World Cup under his new sporting nationality, adding he was relieved to finally part ways on good terms after the long-running dispute.

Braathen, who made his World Cup debut in December 2018, won three World Cup slalom races and two giant slaloms. He finished on the podium seven times last season and went on to claim the slalom crystal globe, but has not competed this season.

Braathen’s transfer represents an unprecedented chance for Brazil to secure its first podiums in the Alpine Ski World Cup, as well as at the 2025 world championships in Saalbach, Austria and the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

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How to watch the Paris Olympics and Paralympics on TV in Norway

Despite boasting several stars hoping to bring gold home for Norway at the Paris Olympics, tuning into the games may be tricky as most of the events won't be free-to-air.

Published: 24 July 2024 12:23 CEST
How to watch the Paris Olympics and Paralympics on TV in Norway

For the first time since 2012, the Summer Olympic Games are being held in Europe. The multi-sport event commences on July 26th and runs until August 11th.

Norway will boast several stars at the event in Paris, who should have a good chance of landing on the podium in their respective disciplines.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Karsten Warholm should be considered favourites in their respective events when it comes to the track, while tennis star Casper Ruud could also be in with the chance of a medal.

READ MORE: Norway’s track star Ingebrigtsen confident of Olympic gold despite family feud

Tuning into the Olympic games themselves may be a bit less straightforward, however, as they will be broadcast on three different services.

Firstly, the steaming service Max will broadcast all events. The streaming service will require a monthly subscription, however given the games last less than a month you will only need to pay for one month.

The broadcasts on Max will be available via TV Norge, which is now integrated into Max as Discovery+ packages are no longer available in Norway.

Meanwhile, the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) has entered into an agreement that allows it to broadcast athletics on NRK 1, NRK 2, and online with NRK TV. These events will, therefore, be free-to-air. The opening and closing ceremonies of the Paris Olympics will also be broadcast on NRK.

Streaming package costs

Packages to stream the Olympic games begin at 89 kroner on Max. This basic package comes with advertisements but allows full HD streaming of all events and streaming on up to two devices simultaneously.

The cheapest package without ads costs 129 kroner per month and allows downloads.

The most expensive package, at 159 kroner per month, allows streaming of up to four devices, includes TV Norge and other channels, streams in 4K ultra high definition with Dolby Atmos Sound, and allows more downloads than the standard package.

The events on NRK are free-to-air, meaning that you will not need to pay to tune in.

The Paralympics 

Among Norway’s medal hopes for the Paralympics are Birgit Skarstein and Salum Kashafali, the games will start on August 28th and run until September 8th. Tuning into these games will be easier as NRK 1 and NRK TV will stream the games, making them free to air. 

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