Polish sports stars strip off for risqué calendar – Daily Mail

After all their blood, sweat and tears in the gym, who could blame some of Poland’s hottest sports stars for wanting to strip off to show the fabulous results of all that hard work?

Some of the country’s hottest stars have gone as nature intended to reveal their chiselled physiques for a new charity photo project.

The stunning photos show the stars performing their sports, only this time in their birthday suits. 

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Oaresome: Rowing champ Ania Wierzbowska poses naked in a wooden rowing hut, surrounded by oars, glancing coyly over her shoulder  

Graceful: Dark haired 400m sprinter Edyta Litwiniuk let the wind through her hair, stripping off to run barefoot along a road beside a lake 

In one, toned rowing champion Anna Wierzbowska shows off her figure as she coyly glances over her shoulder while sitting naked on the floor of a rowing hut surrounded by oars.

The 24-year-old is the 500 and 1,000 metre indoor world record holder, she came sixth at this year’s World Rowing Championships in Aiguebelette, France, and has won nine national championships. 

One picture shows muscle-bound ‘yoga junkie’ Marta Witecka, 29, who graduated in law at the The University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education and former actor Juri Kussmaul, 29, sitting on grass doing Acroyoga, a combination of acrobatics and yoga.

But the nudity isn’t all about novelty value, photographer Dominika Cuda told MailOnline.

She said: ‘Sports and being an athlete forms the way our bodies look. What we look like and how our bodies appear says more about us than we know – it’s a road map of your experiences.

‘It describes our lives, our passion and the journey we’re on.’

In the ‘One Year Fund‘ photo project, Poland’s finest athletes posed to raise money for the country’s sports stars of tomorrow.

Dominika continued: ‘The money we raise buys clothes, shoes and other sports equipment for Polish athletes under 18. 

Flexible: Self-professed ‘yoga junkie’ Marta Witecka and Juri Kussmaul, both 29, practise Acroyoga, a combination of acrobatics and yoga

Don’t look down: Acroyoga fanatics Marta Witecka and Juri Kussmaul pose together on a patch of grass for the One Year Fund diary

‘By doing this, we’re hoping to set off some of the expenses, motivate these young athletes to work hard and keep them on the right path to becoming successful.’

‘To be an athlete you not only have to give up your social life, but you also have to be able and willing to spend some money.

‘Every athlete needs to be able to afford new equipment to practise with, they need enough to follow an appropriate diet, and enough to buy athletic gear – a new warm jacket to run in or new shoes to pound the pavement with. 

Inner strength: Kasia Bigos, who does pole dance and functional training, holds a gruelling pose for the calendar to raise money ing careers

Fitness: Katarzyna Dziurska, who does bikini fitness, poses on the beach of a small creek. All the men and women featured in the diary are athletes, and many of them represent Poland in World Championships in a variety of sports

Back to nature: Runner Katarzyna Wolska limbers up during the photo shoot. Photographer Dominika Cuda launched the project for young athletes to ‘focus on the sport and their love of it, not on whether they have enough money to make it work’

Natural: Rower Ania Wierzbowska, 24, clutches an oar for a glamorous photo shoot against a backdrop of clear skies for this year’s diary

‘Normally these basic costs are carried by parents, especially in the early years. But these young athletes should be able to focus on the sport and their love of it, not on worrying whether they have enough money to make it work.

‘This is where the idea came from – to be able to help the athletic youth of Poland and reward their dedication to their respective sports – that’s how the Sports Calendar was born.’ 

Leap of faith: Olga Chmielewska, who does Shotokan Karate, shows off her phenomenally toned muscles as she leaps off a digger

Glowing: Marek Gunia takes part in the Japanese martial art Kobudo. Here he sits on a bar stool with a dark backdrop lit with luminous red

Lunge: Pilates expert Gosia Prochownik shows off her flexible limbs for the One Year Fund diary, a 300-page collection of Polish athletes

Alongside the photos are daily training schedules and tables to record goals, achievements and results.

‘All of the models shown in the calendar are athletes, and many of them represent Poland in World Championships in a variety of sports.

‘They might not all be famous, but they’re all successful in their disciplines,’ Dominika added.   

Life-changing: Money will go on Poland’s young athletes, so they can focus on their love for the sport rather than how to pay for it

Ace: Tennis player Dominik Kruzel, 32, whose motto is ‘Go hard or go home’ gets ready to take a serve, but he’s forgotten his tennis whites