The International Olympic Committee on Tuesday said it was disappointed by the defeat of a referendum in the Austrian city of Innsbruck on its plan to bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Some in the movement say another dual Games award could be on the cards following its struggles in recent years to attract cities to bid to host the Olympics.
About a dozen cities have pulled out of bidding for the 2022, 2024 and 2026 Olympics.
In September, the IOC awarded the 2024 and the 2028 Summer Olympics to Paris and Los Angeles after they were the only remaining bidders.
"The IOC would have liked to continue its preliminary exploratory talks with Innsbruck," an IOC spokesman said.
"The IOC shares the disappointment for the Austrian Olympic Committee, the many supporting athletes and the promoters of the project who worked on it with so much energy and commitment.
"This would have been a solid foundation to develop an excellent candidature for sustainable Olympic winter Games."
On Sunday 53 per cent of voters in a local referendum voted against the planned candidacy.
"The IOC will continue its exploratory talks with interested NOCs and cities from America, Asia and Europe within the framework of its new candidature process," the IOC official said.
Bids from Switzerland, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Japan, Canada and the United States are still likely for 2026.
The candidacy process will start in 2018 and a decision will be made in 2019.
