LAKE PLACID – Although the United States Olympic Committee was never contacted regarding a possible international joint bid between Quebec City and Lake Placid to host the 2026 Winter Games, the organization shot down the idea Tuesday.

Patrick Sandusky, the chief external affairs officer for the USOC, released a statement that the organization will not consider the possibility of Lake Placid teaming up with Quebec to host the Winter Olympics. The reason he gave is that the USOC is putting all its energy into returning the Summer Olympics to Los Angeles in 2024. That appears to be a “no” to Lake Placid hosting any Olympic event in the near future, with or without Quebec.

“If we were to be approached by our friends from Canada, and to date we have not been, we would politely turn them down as our focus is 100 percent on bidding to bring the Summer Games back to the USA,” Sandusky said. “We have no intention of bidding for 2026.”

While the decision sounds final, Quebec City’s mayor suggested it might not stick. Regis Labeaume told reporters Tuesday he wasn’t surprised by the USOC’s statement but isn’t sure it’s permanent.

“(Lake Placid) is excluded today, but it could just be temporary because the choice for 2024 will be made in 2017,” he said, according to CTV News in Canada. “If in 2017 L.A. doesn’t get the Games, I’m sure the mayor of Lake Placid will call me.”

Los Angeles is competing with Paris, Rome and Budapest, Hungary.

On the other hand, Labeaume added that he isn’t sure Canadians would support an Olympic bid that involved a non-Canadian city.

“In my soul I believe the federal government and (Canadian) Olympic Committee would prefer a Canadian city,” he said, according to CTV.

Labeaume discussed his city’s Olympic aspirations with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach on April 11 in Switzerland. The IOC rejected Quebec City five years ago as a future Winter Olympic site due to its lack of an acceptable alpine ski venue. That prompted Labeaume to reach out to Lake Placid last month as a possible partner, with special interest in using Whiteface Mountain Ski Center, which hosted the 1980 Winter Games’ alpine events.

Labeaume called Lake Placid Mayor Craig Randall in March about a possible joint hosting of the Winter Olympics. Randall said Tuesday he likes the idea but also understands the USOC’s position.

“I have not had any conversation with the USOC on that topic,” Randall said, “but from what I see, their focus is not on Lake Placid. Their focus is squarely on Los Angeles.”

Labeaume has said the joint bid could also include Calgary, Vancouver and/or Whistler. Officials in the first two cities have not responded, according to CTV, but La Presse of Montreal reported that Whistler Mayor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden has said she is “very interested.” Calgary officials have been discussing their city’s own bid for the 2026 Winter Games.

Labeaume also suggested Tuesday that perhaps Quebec City could build some kind of removable structure as an alpine ski venue, according to Quebec City newspaper Le Soleil.

The location of the 2026 Winter Olympics will be decided in 2019. The next Winter Olympics are in 2018 in PyeongChang, South Korea, followed by Beijing in 2022.