The White House stressed that the office, officially called the White House Office of Olympic, Paralympic and Youth Sport, is permanent and has purposes other than helping US cities bid on and host the Olympics.

A spokesman for the White House said: "It was always our intention that this office would continue to exist regardless of the outcome of the 2016 bid.
 

"We are currently working to support the participation in the [2012] London and [2010] Vancouver Games."

The White House said in a statement, when it launched the new office in June, that it would promote the values of the Olympic Movement and encourage increased youth participation in sports as well as co-ordinate US bids to host the Games.

The office, which is located in the White House Office of Public Engagement, is headed by Valerie Jarrett, a close Obama friend and senior White House adviser who travelled here with the President last Friday to be part of Chicago's delegation which presented its case to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

But even the presence of the President and his wife, the First Lady, Michelle Obama, failed to prevent Chicago being the first of the four candidates eliminated with only 18 votes.

Rio de Janeiro were awarded the Games, beating their other rivals Madrid and Tokyo.

The White House is likely to demand answers from the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) over why Chicago did so badly and whether it is worth launching another bid for the Games.

Denver and Reno have both expressed an interest in bidding for the 2018 Winter Olympics but applications close on October 15 and the USOC are unlikely to back either city.

Several cities are expected to also put themselves forward as potential 2020 Summer Games bidders, including Pittsburgh and San Francisco.