Ski jumper cropped

Peterka has been dropped from the Slovenian team

A ski jumper has been dropped from his national team in a row over the length of his hair.

Primoz Peterka from Slovenia will not be called up until he gets his hair cut.

The 21-year-old former world ski jump champion has fallen out of favour with the Slovenian Nordic Ski Federation.

He turned up for summer training in the Kranjska Gora ski area in Slovenia on Monday but was sent home immediately.

Officially the Federation said that Peterska had refused to sign a contract because he did not accept certain conditions.

Clause

However sources within the Federation say that Peterka had been angered by a clause in the contract which ordered him to cut his hair.

Peterka came second in the World Junior Ski Jump Championships in 1996.

At the age of 17 he took part in his first World senior Championships but he was not successful, finishing 31st after his first jump.

However in his first full season on the World Cup circuit in 1997, he won the title with seven victories.

He won the title again in 1998 but last year Germany's Martin Schmitt claimed the title after 10 wins on the tour.

Peterka took part in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, finishing fifth and sixth in the long hill and normal hill jumps.