Los Angeles was awarded the 2009 world figure skating championships on Tuesday, beating out bids from Helsinki and Budapest.

The event is scheduled for March 23-29 at the Staples Center and carries the added importance of being the main qualifying event for the 2010 Olympics. Results at the worlds will determine the number of skaters each country can send to the Vancouver/Whistler Winter Games.

The championships return to the United States for the first time since 2003 when they were staged in Washington D.C.

The 2007 worlds are scheduled for Tokyo while Gothenburg, Sweden will host the event in 2008.