When the Austrian energy drink giant opens its spectacular hangar 7 at Salzburg airport to present the alpine star’s return, it is a signal to an entire sports world about Lucas Braathen’s future status. Under shiny steel beams and surrounded by Red Bull’s newly polished park of planes, helicopters and Formula 1 cars, the alpinist from Hokksund will get the blue stamp as one of the greats in their exclusive stable of sports stars. As a Brazilian winter sports athlete, the biggest in a special class. The hunt for marketable myths Red Bull is speed, excitement – and very big stars. It’s Max Verstappen, Blake Griffin, Shaun White, Ninja and Neymar. And Karsten Warholm. And the brand’s very own teams, such as RB Leipzig, which the night before met Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu in the Champions League. But there is also the x-factor. Because Red Bull primarily wants to sell myths, preferably with a not inconsiderable rebellious touch. Lucas Braathen is on his way to becoming one. RED BULLS STAR: Max Verstappen. Photo: BEN STANSALL / AFP Seen from this perspective, there is a natural line from the break with the Norwegian Ski Association in the autumn to now. The spectacular press conference in Sölden at the end of October was a work of art in dramaturgy. No media or other outsiders had managed to pick up that Braathen was going to announce that he was quitting. After first delivering a speech that was a mixture of coming-of-age stories, life-philosophizing passages and a long tirade against the Norwegian Skiing Association. The latter was necessarily the one that took most of the attention. But in retrospect, there were already enough possible hints about what is to come in what Braathen said and did throughout the autumn. Braathen’s boomerang Civil disobedience, in the form of the Instagram campaign for the Swedish clothing brand Lindeberg. Uprising, in the form of protests against the Norwegian Skiing Association’s unwillingness and ability to give Braathen, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo and other athletes it should concern greater control over their so-called “image rights”. Verdikamp, in a desire to live a free life rather than submit to agreements with skiing authorities who did not respect their athletes in order to continue at the top of the world. Or “extremely disrespectful treatment”, as Braathen himself called it at the press conference. Apparently. Because when the shock had subsided and the tears from the press conference had dried, the signals were soon unmistakable. Braathen’s escape from the alpine environment was much more like that of a boomerang than that of a bird that wanted to fly freely around the world. Although the slogan of his sponsor is “Red Bull gives you wings”, all arrows pointed towards an imminent landing back in the established alpine circus. For all we know today, that has been the plan of Braathen and Red Bull ever since October. Turn around in time And even though that has certainly not been the case, it was tactically smart for the Norwegian alpinist at the time to step back from the alpine circus before the season started. Had the Norwegian Skiing Association refused to release his licence, Braathen would have had to wait 12 months from the last season he had actively raced before he could have changed nationality, according to the FIS regulations point 203.5.1. In practice, he would then not be able to represent Brazil until the summer of 2025. Fortunately, this did not become a real conflict. When the Norwegian Ski Association has contributed as much to this result as they have indirectly or directly by not reaching an agreement with their alpine stars for far too long, they at least understood to treat the license with dignity. With these papers, one of the association’s most attractive sponsorship objects also disappears from their control for good. And they probably saw it coming. IN SPEED: Lucas Braathen. Photo: ALESSANDRO GAROFALO / Reuters Skiing’s Super Bowl Not long after Braathen apparently gave up in Sölden, P3 Gull, fashion shows and DJ jobs had once again become a very public presence in Kitzbühel – or “the Super Bowl of skiing”, as he himself called it on his own Instagram account. There he was asked in the goal area if he was soon ready for a comeback. “We’ll see,” said a smiling Braathen, wearing one of his favorite cowboy hats – to huge cheers from tens of thousands of spectators. And in the background, his existing sponsor Red Bull was watching all the time, which unsurprisingly had seen an opportunity in Braathen’s long conflict with the Ski Association – and has obviously used the time since October to make a new plan, in collaboration with Lucas Braathen and his supporters. New country, new life What Red Bull can apparently offer an alpine skier, no one who followed the lawsuit Henrik Kristoffersen brought against the Ski Association in 2019 had any particular doubts about. Kristoffersen was not allowed to wear the Austrians’ logo on his helmet – and by that he meant that he was demoted to B status in the Red Bull stable, in contrast to, for example, the leading bull himself at the time, Marcel Hirscher. Kristoffersen lost – and accepted it with dignity. The result was a hybrid solution, where he is formally part of the Norwegian national team, but much of the time operates under Red Bull’s auspices. Without all the benefits it can bring. Braathen now gets to feast on these advantages. SAME MATCH: Henrik Kristoffersen and Lucas Braathen have fought the same match, with a slightly different outcome. Photo: Alessandro Trovati / AP The pompous setting of the presentation of his new plan indicates an obvious A status among Red Bull’s athletes. And it is in reality Red Bull that is Braathen’s new nationality as an alpine skier. And what they give Braathen most of all, is an alternative to Norway and life on a national team. Never again will Lucas Pinheiro Braathen have to try to explain to the outside world what “image rights” really mean – or why they are obviously so important. Lucas Braathen is free. Which was what he said he was looking for when he set up in Sölden in October. Again, the only question is why he could not announce this decision already then. Perhaps he needed the time without the frustrations and expectations. Maybe he already had a plan. Maybe we’ll never know. The Brasileiro from Buskerud Now he will give Brazilians an experience they have never had before when he will now return as an alpine star. With a new flag on the back. Where Lucas from Hokksund is suddenly much more Pinheiro than Braathen. Pinheiro also happens to rhyme with “brasileiro”, Portuguese for Brazilian. It fits very well when the charm offensive against his new homeland, at least sportingly, is already underway. The night before the official launch, Pinheiro states to Brazil’s biggest sports media, Globo, that “the most important goal for me is to bring Brazilian culture, dance and emotions to snow sports”. Nothing less. No one should claim that Lucas Pinheiro makes alpine sports more boring. FARGERIK: No one should claim that Lucas Pinheiro Braathen makes alpine sports boring. Photo: Giovanni Auletta / AP Winter Olympian of all time How big this may or may not be in South America’s largest country neither I nor anyone else knows. Simply because it has not been tried before. Throughout history, Brazil has won 150 medals in the Summer Olympics. Through the nine Olympic Winter Games Brazil has taken part in, on the other hand, the best position is 9th place, incidentally in snowboard cross at Isabel Clark Ribeiro in 2006, just in case you catch yourself fooling yourself. The tenth games can be very special. It is still far from a given that Lucas Braathen does this primarily out of love for his mother’s homeland. Or “my country”, as he now also calls it himself in the aforementioned Globo interview. Regardless of whether he spoke with empathy and warmth about his memories of living there growing up and his admiration for the football stars, for Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and their joga bonito. The beautiful game. FOOTBALL NATION: This is how we know the sporting nation of Brazil. Vinicius Junior, Lucas Paquetá, Raphinha and Neymar dance after scoring in the 2022 World Cup. Photo: AP In Red Bull’s realm He does it because he can with dual citizenship. And because it gives him new opportunities. Because with his exit from the alpine circus and his return as a new man, Lucas Braathen is suddenly a story so special that it can be enticingly wrapped up by his new home Red Bull’s extremely skilled communicators. Who never use traditional advertising channels. But who have created a reputation as some of the most effective in the world. Including a YouTube channel with over 10 million followers. The bulls’ own master When the new season starts in Sölden in October, the two standing bulls in Red Bull’s characteristic logo will shine on the helmet, as the perfect symbol of him who is the champion and companion of the bulls. He who likes to be seen in cowboy hats when he is a civilian again. The preferred headgear of bull riders. Now the cowboy from Hokksund will instead become a Brazilian boiadeiro. Everyone can hear how much better it sounds. It is easy to suspect Lucas Pinheiro Braathen of having really understood alpine sports’ own yoga bonito. The cycling helmet is ridiculed 00:44 Absurd WC blunder: — What are you doing? 00:29 Scandalous scenes in the World Cup: – Oi! It is extremely dangerous! 00:47 Klæbo – he hugged me tightly 00:51 Show more
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From “Lucas from Hokksund” to “Pinheiro the Brasileiro” – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
