The event in Sweden had been selected as part of the 2018 calendar, but organisers and the IOF have reassessed the round’s place on the competition schedule.

It has been claimed that the governing body took on board feedback from athletes and coaches before making the decision.

The competition’s proximity to the World Orienteering Championships in Latvia was considered a central issue, with the events due to take place one week apart.

"When we looked at the feedback we received from the athletes and coaches it became clear that even with a reduced programme, the O-Ringen World Cup round would conflict too much with the World Orienteering Championships," said Tom Hollowell, IOF chief executive.

"We apologise to the athletes and national teams for any distress this has caused in their planning, but feel it is better to admit, now rather than later, that we were too ambitious in moving along with the future World Cup programme."

The World Championships are now set to be included as part of the World Cup season, as has been the case in previous seasons.

Taking place in Latvia’s capital Riga, the Championships will take place between August 4 and 11.

The World Cup will begin from May 6 to 13 in Lugano in Italy, while the third event will take place after the World Championships at Østfold in Norway, from August 31 to September 2.

Investigations are taking place to see if a fourth round could still be added to the programme, but it would require agreement from all stakeholders.

The IOF stated that the Swiss Cup group, organisers of the successful World Cup Final for seven of the last eight years, are due to join their consortium in 2019.

They will work with the IOF and O-Ringen on formulating the 2019 World Cup programme.