June 21 - London in Ontario has been awarded the 2013 World Figure Skating Championships, which could feature South Korea's Olympic champion Kim Yu Na (pictured), Skate Canada announced today.



The Championships will serve as a qualifying event for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi - determining the numbers of skaters each country may send to the Games.

It is the tenth time that Canda has hosted the event.

They most recently staged it in 2006 when they were held in Calgary.

Earlier this year, London played host to the Canadian Championships which also served as an important qualifying event for the Vancouver Olympics.

London has never staged a World Figure Skating Championships, but it held the 2007 World Synchronised Skating Championships.

World championships in Canada have always been among the most successful for the sport.

The 2001 world championships in Vancouver set attendance records and the 2006 World Championships in Calgary generated more than $5.6 million (£3.8 million) in legacy funds to skaters and clubs in Canada.

The Championships in London  will be held at the John Labatt Centre from March 10 to 17, while the Western Fair Sports Complex will serve as a practice arena.