US Olympic leaders have started contacting Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington about the possibility of bidding for the 2024 Games and believe the demise of Boston's candidacy will be "ancient history" by the time the host city is selected in 2017.

In an interview on Saturday, US Olympic Committee chairman Larry Probst said a decision will be made by the end of August on which of three cities should replace Boston as the American contender in a race that already features four European cities.

"We've got to reconnect with the three cities that were part of the group of finalists," Probst said on the sidelines of the IOC general assembly in Kuala Lumpur.