The 2021 World Figure Skating Championships have been provisionally awarded to Stockholm ©Getty Images

Winter Olympic contender Stockholm has been announced as the provisional host of the World Figure Skating Championships in 2021, it has been confirmed.

The Swedish capital is one of the cities interested in hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

It has now been confirmed as the provisional host of the 2021 World Championships by the International Skating Union (ISU).

The event will likely be the last major figure skating competition before the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing the following year.

According to the ISU, the allocation of the Championships will be "kept pending" until the next meeting of their Council in October. 

Sweden has not staged the flagship event since 2008 when it took place in Gothenburg.

Stockholm has previously done so in 1897, 1901, 1905, 1909, 1922, 1934 and 1947.

Stockholm has not hosted the World Championships since 1947 ©Getty Images
Stockholm has not hosted the World Championships since 1947 ©Getty Images

The ISU has also announced the provisional awarding of three more major events for the 2020-2021 season.

Each of the decisions was made at their Congress in Spanish city Seville which concluded last week.

Croatian capital Zagreb was provisionally awarded the European Figure Skating Championships while the World Junior Speed Skating Championships have been earmarked for Hachinohe City in Japan.

Salt Lake City has been backed to stage the Junior Short Track World Championships.

The American city hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.