The Nordic Combined Committee presented a draft schedule for the women's World Cup, which includes four stops.

It will provisionally start in Lillehammer in December 2020 and also features a leg in Otepää in Estonia as well as the finals, set to be held in Schonach in Germany in March 2021.

The establishment of a World Cup tour for women provides a significant boost to the discipline's chances of joining the men's equivalent on the Winter Olympic programme.

Women's Nordic combined failed with its bid for inclusion at Beijing 2022 but it is likely the FIS will try again for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The men's discipline has been contested at the Olympics since Chamonix 1924.

The creation of a World Cup series comes as part of FIS's efforts to develop the women's discipline.

It is one of only a handful of events not practised by both men and women at the Olympic Games.

"We are thrilled to present the first draft of a Nordic Combined Women's World Cup calendar," said race director Lasse Ottesen.

"This is on schedule according to our strategy document and we are looking forward to presenting our women to the world." 

The Nordic Combined Committee also approved the inclusion of a mixed team event at the FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships in 2020.

It will replace the individual men's Gundersen five kilometres event at the Championships in Oberwiesenthal.