Lucas Braathen Quits Ski Racing: “I am free”

Lucas Braathen Atomic Media days, GEPA pictures/Harald Steiner

Lucas Braathen ends his ski racing career immediately, the Norwegian ski star announced during an emotional press conference in Sölden, Austria, today.

The Norwegian Alpine Team held its regular season-opener press conference Thursday before the World Cup races in Sölden, Austria, this weekend. Braathen attended the event and was announced as a team member starting Sunday.

Ahead of Thursday’s press conference, Braathen made it known he would not answer questions about the conflict between the Norwegian Ski Federation and himself regarding an advertising campaign Braathen had taken part in, which the federation viewed as conflicting with the sponsorship agreement with one of their main sponsors.

The federation had just announced a fine for Braathen’s participation in the unauthorized advertising campaign. In addition, there is an ongoing discussion between the Norwegian Ski Federation and the Norwegian national team skiers regarding the marketing rights of the athletes.

Unconventionally, Braathen invited the media to his private press conference Friday at the Sölden apartment where he and his father have stayed for the past few days. The media’s interest was widespread; nobody – not even the Norwegian Alpine Team – knew the content of the upcoming press conference.

“I am done.”

Braathen is one of the world’s best skiers. The 23-year-old won the World Cup slalom globe last season. Notably, he won his first World Cup race in Sölden in October 2020. The young Norwegian-Brazilian athlete made a long, emotional speech at his press event. He emotionally conveyed his thoughts, displaying a mix of sadness and great relief.Towards the end, his message came as a great shock:

He ended his ski racing career – now.

Braathen made the decision four weeks ago. He feels that there is no longer room for his dreams and joy the way the current system works, and he explained the importance of personal happiness to him as a person:

“I am a person who almost always has chosen to do what I love the most, whatever means the most to me. That is my definition of success, not the lucrative deals I am part of. And not the fact that the last time I participated in a race, I was the best in the world. It’s about whether this makes me happy or not,” Braathen said during his private press conference.

“For the first time in at least half a year, after making this decision, I feel happy,” he continued. “For the first time in many years, I feel free. And everyone who knows me knows that freedom is one of my greatest sources for success and happiness.”

Conflicts

Over the past three years, there has been an ongoing conflict between the Norwegian alpine skiers on the national team and the Norwegian Ski Federation regarding marketing rights, including to what extent the athletes or the federation own the individual athlete’s image rights.

Early this summer, the conflict became publicly known and covered widely in the Norwegian media. The ski federation’s legislative committee supports the alpine skiers’ demand for more control over their marketing rights.

The federation and national team skiers have yet to reach an agreement. The alpine skiers, represented by Aleksander Aamodt Kilde and Braathen and a lawyer, have yet to sign a contract with the federation before this season. The ski federation has recently passed the conflict on to the national sports federation, The Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the Confederation of Sports (NIF).

“This case could have been solved a long time ago if the Ski Federation had followed the recommendation of its legislative committee. The case is sad for all of skiing Norway and should result in consequences,” says Andreas Ekker, the leader of the legislative committee, according to VG.

Hours after Braathen’s announcement today, the Norwegian Ski Federation board convened an emergency meeting. VG reported that two board members had internally disagreed about the handling of the case before this meeting.

Shaking the foundation

An essential principle in Norwegian sports is that sponsor money for the national teams also helps cover costs for grassroots sports. Traditionally, the “we” is greater than the “I”. Hence, the question regarding marketing rights and whether successful elite skiers should get a more significant piece of the pie than what has been usual in the past seems to many to threaten the foundation of Norwegian sports ideology and the opportunity for children to participate in grassroots sports. Without this foundation, there might also be fewer children who start alpine skiing and other sports, which might result in fewer top athletes in the future.

Former teammate Leif Kristian Nestvold Haugen responds

Leif Kristian Nestvold Haugen, a past member of the Norwegian Alpine Ski Team who previously took part in these discussions while he was a team member, explained the following to Norwegian TV2 today:

“This is obviously a difficult situation. The most important task of the federation is to take care of the grassroots. But, obviously, without the top [athletes], you do not get the support and income for the grassroots. So, there is a crossing point. Where is that crossing between give and take for the top athletes, so you still have enough to give to the grassroots?”

Nestvold Haugen pinpointed during his TV2 interview that the athletes have asked for something common in several other sports, where the athletes have contracts with their teams and additional contracts that include image rights.

“For the skiers, it is not about wanting to impair the grassroots sports. We have been very clear that the most important thing for us is that we still secure income for the grassroots, and maybe, by thinking along new lines, that the athletes give a bit of their extra income, you can call it a kind of ‘taxation.’ This has been a suggestion from the athletes so they could secure their income level,” Nestvold Haugen explained during today’s TV2 interview.

Rough times

“It has been a bit rough lately,” Braathen shared with the media Friday.

His presentation today made it clear that the conflict with the ski federation has been demanding in many ways, including not feeling respected by the ski federation and people thinking of him as greedy and egotistical due to the marketing conflict. In addition, he made a quick reference at the press conference about people and the media making disrespectful remarks about his sometimes unconventional clothing style.

Now, Braathen is excited to be free to spend time discovering what his next adventure will be.

The ski team was in shock

Nobody knew ahead of time what was coming. Braathen informed his teammates Thursday evening. Alpine Director for the Norwegian Alpine Team, Claus Ryste, received a text message right before the press conference while working at the Rettenbach glacier; in the text, Braathen’s father informed Ryste that his son was ending his skiing career.

Ryste said during an interview with TV2 this afternoon in Sölden, local time, that the situation is both difficult and sad and that the announcement surprised him, the support staff, and the athletes on the team. At that time, he had not yet been able to talk to Braathen or Braathen’s father.

“We think about Lucas; he has obviously gone through a tough time making such a decision. It is a shock for the athletes. Those are the feelings we have now,” Ryste said, expressing that they had not had the time to process the news.

“It is a shock for everyone,” Ryste continued.

“I wish to say that we must be humble regarding such a serious consequence and how we handle this. I do not wish to go into every little detail in the critique [put forward by Braathen]. Still, we need to take the criticism to heart and be humble regarding a young athlete like Lucas making such a choice,” the Norwegian alpine director said.

Affecting teammates’ performances?

During the interview with TV2, Ryste expressed that Braathen’s retirement announcement today probably will affect his former teammates in this weekend’s races. “We cannot only focus on the results. We need to focus on the people traveling with us,” Ryste says, adding that skiing isn’t necessarily the most important thing right now.

Braathen’s teammates during the past few years are most concerned about Braathen’s well-being.

Braathen’s close and long-time skiing friend, Atle Lie McGrath, who is in Norway training after last season’s injury and not racing in Sölden, received a phone call from Braathen last night.

“We had a long talk on the phone last night, and I understood early what he would say. It is sad. I have slept poorly and cried a lot,” Lie McGrath told the Norwegian newspaper VG today.

According to VG, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde feels a bit speechless and says the whole group is in shock after receiving the news Thursday night as a heads-up before today’s press conference.

Aamodt Kilde said the group of skiers first and foremost wish for Braathen to feel well and that his health is the most important.

“It is sad. He is a good buddy, first and foremost,” Aamodt Kilde said, according to VG.

“I am proud of the decision Lucas has made. Sports is not the only thing in the world. Other things are even more important,” Lie McGrath tells VG.

Several top international skiers and many fans are posting well-wishes and support on Braathen’s Instagram profile.

Sources: TV2, VG, NRK.no