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Eight-time overall World Cup champion Marcel Hirscher is planning to return to ski racing next season after five years in retirement. And he's going to compete for his mom's country the Netherlands instead of his native Austria. The Austrian winter sports federation announced that it had released the 35-year-old Hirscher and endorsed his nation change. Hirscher was born and raised in Austria to an Austrian father and a Dutch mother. Red Bull racing director Patrick Riml says Hirscher plans to enter lower-level races in New Zealand in August to get the necessary points to return to the World Cup circuit and that his main aim is to compete at next season's world championships in Austria.
