The start of the last downhill race of the World Cup season was postponed on Sunday as snow continued to fall in the Austrian resort, the International Ski Federation (FIS) said on Sunday.

"Due to the ongoing work on the piste, the organisers have decided to postpone the start of the downhill" to 1100 GMT, said the FIS in a statement.

The Saalbach downhill, which was initially scheduled for 1015, was to be the scene of a final duel between the two best in the men's sport this winter, Switzerland's Marco Odermatt and Frenchman Cyprien Sarrazin, to see which of them would win the globe of skiing's premier discipline.

But the snowfall, which began on Saturday afternoon and continued on Sunday morning, complicated the preparation of the piste.

A further decision will be taken at 1015, the FIS added.