The appointment earlier this month of Scott Blackmun as the USOC's new chief executive has raised hopes that America will put forward a bid for 2022.

Jon Killoran, the chief executive of Reno Tahoe Winter Games Coalition (RTWGC), a non-profit organisation dedicated to bringing the Olympics to the area, has claimed that USOC leaders had indicated to him that they would back a bid.

Denver are also interested in putting together a bid but the USOC have told insidethegames that they first need to analyse why Chicago's heavily-backed attempt failed to get beyond the first round of voting at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Copenhagen last October.

A spokesman said: "There has been some speculation about upcoming bids from the US.

"While at some point in the future we may consider bids for any number of events, it is premature for us to start considering bids for the 2022 Games, or any other Olympic Games at the moment. 

"The results in Copenhagen underlined the need for us to be engaged in the Olympic Movement, but we will need some time to evaluate the best way to do so."

But Killoran has said he is confident that there will be a US bid.

He said: "This is the first time that I can think of in quite a few years that the USOC has said anything publicly that would lead us to believe that there would be a pursuit of a winter bid.

"In the past, the USOC's focus was first on New York in 2012 and for Chicago in 2016 for the Summer Games.

"That prioritisation may now have changed."

A decision on which city will host the 2022 Olympics is not due to be made by the IOC until 2015 but Killoran has warned that any potential bid must start planning now.

He said: "When you think about it, it's only five years.

"We have a great head start working on this programme.

"We have a great start with the infrastructure that is already here, and the infrastructure we need to shore up.

"But this puts us on a timeline, without just saying we are doing this with the hope of bidding sometime in the future."

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