Pat Burgener brought his music to the Olympic spotlight in Milan on Tuesday, turning Brazil House into a small stage show that mixed instruments and crowd energy as the Winter Olympics continued across northern Italy.
The 31-year-old Brazilian snowboarder, who competed for Switzerland and was born and raised there, has described feeling complete when he combines his halfpipe focus with his passion for music. After the Olympics’ momentum shifted from early rounds to the atmosphere around the venues, Burgener used the Brazil House gathering spot organized by Brazil’s Olympic committee to perform for an audience that danced and clapped as he played.
Burgener performed as he juggled instruments, using his hands for a guitar, his mouth for a harmonica and bare feet for drum pedals, according to the report on his set. Speaking onstage to the audience, Burgener said, “This year I fell in love with Brazil and it made me do crazy things,” as the crowd applauded.
Before the Tuesday show, Burgener told The Associated Press that music has been part of how he manages focus. He said, “I realized that a big part of society doesn’t want you to do too many things because we’re kind of focused on trying to make one thing really well, which for some people works,” and added, “But for me, like, it’s what I need. I felt it. It was like a balance of life between snowboarding, music.” He has also been diagnosed with ADHD, and the report said he credited music with helping him focus.
His musical background stretches beyond performing that night. Encouraged by his parents since he was 5, Burgener can play the piano, guitar, ukulele, harmonica, trumpet, flute and the four-string cavaquinho. The report also said he began performing with his brother at 18 and that he has recorded dozens of songs, releasing his first single in Portuguese as the Games began.
Burgener’s Olympic timeline has also included a teammate whose path has differed sharply. The report said his debut with the Brazilian team this year coincided with that of Alpine ski racer Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, whose gold medal on Saturday earned South America its first-ever medal in a Winter Olympics. Pinheiro Braathen had competed for Norway until 2023, switching to Brazil last season and adding his mother’s surname, the report said.
For Burgener, the outcome was not the one he wanted. His Olympic journey ended in Livigno, Italy, on Feb. 11, after his 14th place finish in the men’s halfpipe qualifying event prevented him from moving on to the final. Even so, he said he expected to translate the experience into music, describing how the end of a season can carry emotional weight. Burgener said, “It’s like that feeling where like, ‘wow, I’ve worked so hard for this, and now it’s done,’” adding, “And there’s a lot of mixed emotions about this, you know? Happiness, sadness. And I always call it the post-Olympic depression, because this is just reality. If you win, if you lose, it hits pretty hard. And I’m excited for this time to write songs.”
Burgener was not the only athlete at the Games bringing music into their routines, the report said. It described a growing trend of athletes listening to songs or settling in with headphones before competing, from basketball to soccer and even swimming, but it noted that keeping the “party” going once the action starts can be harder.
During these Games in Livigno, where the action sports events were held, the report said a number of freestyle skiers and snowboarders brought tunes to competitions. For Evan McEachran, a pair of earphones connected to a smartphone became part of his gear in his run-up to men’s big air final qualifying, the report said, with the Canadian describing how the choice is tied to energy.
McEachran told the Associated Press, “If I’m feeling like I’m a little low on energy, I’ll put on some high-tempo music,” and he said it helps by “That fires me up and gives me a little jolt.”