Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover chosen

Sports Illustrated magazine said on Wednesday that model Hannah Davis, 24, will appear on the cover of this year's annual swimsuit issue.

This year's edition will launch online on Feb. 9 and in print on Feb. 10, the magazine said. It is the most widely read edition each year of the magazine, which is owned by Time Warner Inc.

Sports Illustrated, which was first published in 1954, developed the swimsuit edition to help the magazine's slow sales in the wintertime.

It has previously featured the likes of Heidi Klum, Elle Macpherson, Tyra Banks and Kate Upton early in their careers.