IBSF World Cup skeleton events and ladies' alpine World Cup cancelled because of heavy snow

This was the scene in St Anton, Austria where heavy snowfall has caused the cancellation of the ladies' alpine World Cup event

This weekend's skeleton events at the IBSF World Cup and European Championships in Konigssee, Germany have been cancelled for safety reasons.

The men's and women's races were due to take place on 11 January but have been called off because of "continued snowfall and poor weather forecasts".

"We cannot guarantee the safety of the athletes," said Markus Aschauer, operations manager of the track.

The IBSF will announce "at a later stage" when the event will be held.

It comes after the southern district of Berchtesgaden has been placed under disaster alert since Thursday.

British competitors Jerry Rice, Jack Thomas, Marcus Wyatt, Laura Deas, Kimberley Murray and Madelaine Smith were among those hoping to take part in the skeleton events.

However, officials are hopeful that the World Cup and European Championship competitions of two-woman and two-man bobsleigh, as well as the four-man bobsleigh event, all scheduled for Saturday, will still take place.

The ladies' alpine World Cup in St Anton, Austria, also scheduled for this weekend, has also been cancelled and that event will take place in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, the following week.

American Lindsey Vonn, downhill gold medallist at the 2010 Winter Olympics, had been expected to make her first appearance of the season after being out of action since November with a knee injury.