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Ski-jumping champ poses for Playboy 'to raise awareness for the sport'

Juliane Seyfarth, pictured here in action for Germany at the ski-jumping world championships.
Juliane Seyfarth in action for Germany at the ski-jumping world championships. Image: Getty

German ski-jumping world champion Juliane Seyfarth has posed naked for Playboy, saying she's hoping to "raise awareness for the sport".

The two-time world champion will grace the cover of the March edition of Playboy Magazine in Germany, taking to social media to announce the news.

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Seyfarth posted a teaser photo on Instagram on Thursday, saying she hopes the photos will be "welcomed by everyone because they draw positive attention to our sport".

"Hello everyone. Now I can say it, I was allowed to go with my loved one @luke_craft_photography to shoot the cover and the title series for the new Playboy @playboygermany," she wrote.

"It was a great adventure and I am very happy and thankful for this time and our great pictures.

"A lot of love to everyone involved, getting to know each other and working with you is worth gold."

The post was well received on her Instagram page, racking up thousands of likes and comments.

The 30-year-old isn't afraid to express her sexuality, often posting stunning photos on social media for her 26,000 followers.

She said ski-jumping and nude photography are “a kind of art” because they both give her “the feeling of freedom".

Seyfarth won gold for Germany at the 2019 World Championships in the team and mixed events.

In 2006 she became the first official junior world champion in ski-jumping, winning the women's competition at the Nordic World Championships in Slovenia.

However the current ski-jumping season hasn’t started well for Seyfarth, with 17th place her best result so far.

Juliane Seyfarth, pictured here celebrating with her gold medal at the 2019 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships.
Katharina Althaus, Markus Eisenbichler, Juliane Seyfarth and Karl Geiger of Germany celebrate with their gold medals at the 2019 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. (Photo by Linnea Rheborg/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

Skiing world championship events cancelled

Meanwhile, men's Alpine skiing World Cup races scheduled for Norway next month have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The International Ski Federation said on Thursday the March 12-14 cross-country World Cup finals and Nordic Combined World Cup event in Oslo have also been cancelled.

FIS said any replacement venues and dates would be announced when confirmed.

"The Norwegian Ski Association will be unable to host any further competitions through the end of current World Cup season due to the stricter travel and event-related restrictions," FIS said

Norway's strict entry rules for effectively only residents and citizens does not make any exception for sports clubs.

"We're disappointed that our athletes cannot compete at Holmenkollen the second year in a row but understand the government's decision," the ruling body IBU tweeted, hoping "we hope to be back next year."

Last year's World Cup finals in Oslo also had to be cancelled owing to the virus, and the IBU said updates on the finals of the current season would follow in due course.

Women's ski-jumping and Nordic combined events in Lillehammer originally scheduled for this weekend were also cancelled recently.

with AAP

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