Lebanese skier Jacky Chamoun has apologised after racy photos of her emerged online, causing a stir in her Arab nation.

The photos show her topless as she prepares for a calender shoot.

Writing on her official Facebook page, Chamoun said: "I did photos for an Austrian ski calendar with other professional athletes three years ago.

"The photos of the photoshoot are not like the actual images that are now circulating on the net. The video and photos that you are now seeing are part of the making off, the preparation, it wasn't supposed to go public.

"Anyways, I want to apologize to all of you, I know that Lebanon is a conservative country and this is not the image that reflects our culture. I fully understand if you want to criticise this."

The Lebanese Olympic Committee said that the images did "not reflect the real image of the Lebanese sports" but would not call the athlete back.