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Slovenia will be represented in the qualifiers by 13 male ski jumpers, including double medallist from the Sochi Winter Olympics, Peter Prevc, and veterans Robert Kranjec and Jernej Damjan.

"I only want that the lads enjoy the jumping and that they are carried as far as possible," Slovenia team coach Goran Janus said ahead of the competitions at the revamped ski-jumping hill at Planica.

Women jumpers will see their first World Cup finale at the legendary Slovenian hill, with the home team fielding five representatives.

The qualifiers will be followed by the first men's individual event on Friday, while the ladies' individual event and the men's team event are scheduled for Saturday.

The final act of the 2013/2014 FIS Ski Jumping World Cup will take place on Sunday, when men ski jumpers will have their second individual event.

The organisers hope that the event will help convince the International Ski Federation (FIS) to award the 2019 Nordic World Ski Championships to Planica. The decision will be made by the FIS Council in June.