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Up to 17 cities have expressed an interest in bidding for the 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games (YOG), it has emerged.

Speaking at the inaugural YOG in Singapore, International Olympic Committee (IOC) executive director for the Olympic Games Gilbert Felli revealed there has been widespread interest from countries wanting to stage the event in the future.

Among the cities to have already declared an interest is Raleigh in North Carolina while Abuja, the Nigerian capital, is also understood to be preparing a bid, according to Inside The Games.

Felli said: "We have had discussions with the USOC [United States Olympic Committee] and some cities in the United States who have the idea for the Winter or Summer Games. One day, they would like to come with a bid."

The first Winter Youth Olympic Games will be held in Innsbruck, Austria, in early 2012 while the next Summer Youth Olympics will take place in Nanjing, China in 2014.

Lillehammer in Norway is so far the only city to have expressed an interest in hosting the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics, although cities have until November this year to submit a formal bid.

IOC director of communications Mark Adams added that the IOC is encouraging potential host cities to use existing facilities in their bids.

"It gives them a chance to participate – to take part in the whole Olympic ideal,” he added.

"That is why there is interest from cities which would probably never have thought of getting involved and could never see themselves as serious contenders for staging an Olympic event."