Christophe Dubi, the Olympic Games executive director for the International Olympic Committee (IOC), revealed that there were several potential bidders with Sweden and Switzerland the latest to throw their hat in the ring.

The Swiss official said five countries had entered the "continuous dialogue" phase with the IOC, while a sixth has also expressed an interest but has yet to follow the others in taking that next step in the process.

The IOC has yet to secure a host for the 2030 Winter Olympics with a decision expected to be made at next year’s Summer Olympics in Paris.

"I cannot narrow down for 2030, reason being that we need to respect the confidentiality of those interested parties," said Dubi.

"They are very clear that they are interested in a future Games edition but they are also in continuous dialogue because we are discussing about those strategic elements.

"And you know all of them except a sixth country which has not yet declared but is talking to us and they are not in continuous dialogue so… the number is really six."

Sweden has expressed interest in staging the 2030 Winter Olympics, with the Swedish Olympic Committee announcing last week that it would move to step two of the IOC's bidding process.

More than seven out of 10 Swedes surveyed felt that the nation should apply for the hosting rights strictly on the basis that it can be done in a sustainable, democratic, and cost-effective manner.

Sweden has endured eight failed bids including six consecutive losses for the 1984 to 2002 Games.

Its last disappointment came in 2019 when it missed out on the 2026 edition which went to Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Swiss Olympic is also in talks over staging the Games in future but insists that its dialogue with the IOC "does not refer to a specific year" - a "long-term" approach which has been welcomed by Dubi.

"It’s somewhat reassuring because they know that with the current process we can discuss together about how to maximise the chances of Switzerland and others for the distant future," added Dubi.

Switzerland joined forces with France and Italy to bid for the 2030 edition only for Chamonix to rule itself out in January just a few hours after the proposal became public.

Sapporo in Japan was favourite but organisers have put the bid on hold following the damage dealt by a corruption scandal linked to Tokyo 2020 and is expected to turn its attention to 2034.

Vancouver in Canada has also pulled out after failing to gain Government support but remains in continuous dialogue with the IOC over a future edition.

Salt Lake City said it was prepared to step into the breach but is keen on the 2034 edition to avoid clashing with sponsorships for the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The IOC Future Host Commission, chaired by Romania's Octavian Morariu, has been tasked with investigating a number of options, including permanent rotating hosts and a joint award of the 2030 and 2034 Winter Games.

Morariu addressed the IOC Executive Board today to give an update on the process.

"The IOC is in discussions with a number of potential hosts with recent experience of hosting World Cups and World Championships and have a highly developed sports market," said IOC spokesperson Mark Adams.

"As you know, a number of them have made themselves known publicly.

"There are six interested parties, not all of which we can tell you the names of as it is up to each individual potential bidder to say whether they want to be public or not.

"We are using the time to help develop the vision, legacy and strategy to make a sustainable Games plan for all of those interested parties.

"The election is expected no later than in Paris in 2024 but as you know the process remains very flexible so we can adapt to the pace of each of the hosts depending on the changing circumstances."