The Scandinavians are the seventh most-successful nation in the history of the Winter Olympics, with 24 gold medals from appearances at every single edition since the first in 1924.

Despite its prominent standing in the Games, Sweden has been overlooked for hosting duties every time.

It has been through a remarkable eight failed bids, including six consecutive losses for the 1984 to 2002 Games.

Gothenburg, Falun, and Östersund were the proposed host cities in the period but recent attempts have seen more prominent locations put forward,

The Swedish Olympic Committee (SOK) tried its luck again in 2013, aiming for the 2022 event, but was forced into dropping the bid just over two months later due to a lack of Government support.

Capital city Stockholm was recently involved for the 2026 campaign which was lost to Italy's Milan-Cortina by 13 votes, the closest margin of defeat since losing out to neighbours Norway with Lillehammer 1994 by six ballots.

Åre's involvement that time was pushed to the forefront and almost proved to be the key.

It is considered to be one of the leading Scandinavian ski resorts and featured for Alpine events in the previous bids.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has struggled to attract bids for the 2030 Games and, as a result, has postponed its decision to appoint a host.

A 2024 date is most likely to finalise the winning bid.

Before the SOK initiated a feasibility study in February on potentially hosting the event, the selection was looking bleak for the IOC.

Host in 1972 Sapporo was a long-time frontrunner until December of last year.

Officials from the Japanese city decided to "discontinue [the bid] for some time" while investigating the Tokyo 2020 bribery scandal, although still maintains that it would not be cancelled.

Vancouver was looking promising for some time as well before also falling to the dreaded lack of Government support.

Salt Lake City remains on standby to host just in case, although both the IOC and United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee would prefer it to stage the 2034 Games due to 2030's proximity with Los Angeles 2028.

Judgement day for Sweden's potential ninth bid is set to come on Thursday of next week (April 20).

The SOK General Assembly will see the report of the feasibility study presented to delegates.

The reception of said report is crucial as it will lead to the all-important pollice verso from Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

He has said that he did not want to draw any "hasty conclusions" until the outcome of the feasibility study.

The IOC has stated that it welcomes Sweden's interest in the Games.

I'm sure there is a fair amount of relief felt as well.

Having said that, they may not be as desperate as once thought.

The governing body's executive director Christophe Dubi has claimed that there has been a flurry of recent interest from possible suitors to stage the Games.

He will not name names yet but "several potential hosts" making contact sounds promising for the IOC but worrying for the SOK.

It is said they are all established hosts and therefore will have world-class facilities and operational know-how ready to go.

This could cause a substantial headache for the Swedes if they do not get their bid off the ground quick enough.

A SOK-IOC meeting in January in Lausanne saw the latter admit it was impressed with the 2026 bid.

One key barrier that needs to be ironed out is cooperation with the Latvian Olympic Committee (LOK).

Similarly to the last attempt, the Stockholm-Åre bid looks to the Baltic country for support.

The resort of Sigulda would stage sliding events if successful, but the LOK is not on board just yet.

The bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track would certainly add a level of prestige to the bid given its history.

It is a world-class facility and its status as such has been reinforced with the hosting of four European Luge Championships, in 1996, 2010, 2014, and 2018.

The 2003 and 2015 World Luge Championships also took place there.

An ace up the Swedish sleeve that could prove vital is Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) secretary general Gunilla Lindberg.

She has been an IOC member since 1996 and is a former vice-president of the organisation and with that comes a level of influence that will certainly aid the quest for hosting rights.

The 75-year-old was appointed to the Future Host Commission for the Olympic Winter Games in 2019 but has had to temporarily stand down to avoid a potential conflict of interest.

Should the SOK proceed to "continuous dialogue" with the IOC, Lindberg would cease to become a member of the Commission.

The decision on the 2030 Games will be the first time that the panel is responsible for identifying and proposing a preferred candidate from interested parties to the Executive Board instead of the traditional bidding race.

This is another plus point for Sweden giving the country's less than desirable track record in securing enough votes.

The crucial General Assembly where the feasibility study is due to be presented is also likely to see the man who headed it, Hans von Uthmann, elected as the new SOK President.

He has been proposed by the SOK Nominations Committee to be Mats Årjes' replacement.

The former President of the Swedish Basketball Association has served with the SOK as acting vice-president, and has impressed since his appointment last year.

Sweden's path to securing the 2030 Winter Olympic Games hosting rights is clear and with the IOC seemingly onside it looks to be in the hands of internal forces.

The event could provide a major boost to the country's tourism and boost its chances of becoming a major location in the winter sports calendar.

It may well be a case of now or never and, provided the feasibility study is favourable, the SOK and the Swedish Government might not find themselves with a better chance to land the Games which have proved so elusive in the past.