Passport in hand, Albrecht will race for Bulgaria

Austrian slalom skier Kilian Albrecht will make his debut for Bulgaria in Monday's slalom in Alta Badia, Italy.

AUSTRIAN SLALOM SKIER KILIAN ALBRECHT will make his debut for Bulgaria in Monday's slalom in Alta Badia, Italy.
    The 33-year-old received his new Bulgarian passport on Monday, allowing him to compete.   
    He finished fourth for Austria in the men's slalom at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and at his peak was a regular top 10 finisher in the World Cup. He did not compete in this year's Torino Games.
    Other high-profile Austrian-born skiers have turned their backs on their country in the past after falling out with the powerful Austrian federation or simply struggling to retain a place on the squad.
    Three-time World Cup champion Marc Girardelli raced for Austria until 1976 before switching to Luxembourg due to disagreements about coaching.
    Elfi Eder, the 1996 World Cup slalom champion and 1994 Olympic slalom silver medallist, left in 1997 to race for the Caribbean island of Grenada.
    And Josef Strobl, a seven-time winner on the World Cup, took Slovenian citizenship in 2004 but failed to make that country's team for the Torino Games.