His comments came on the eve of a debate on the issue at the third meeting of the Games Control Authority in Rome, according to Torino Today.

When Baselga di Pinè, originally planned as host for the speed skating events, withdrew its candidature the gap was swiftly filled by Milan, which proposed using pavilions at the Fiera Milano Exhibition Centre.

This thwarted an effort from Turin to bring the event back to the Oval Lingotto facility where it was hosted during the Turin 2006 Winter Olympics.

The Milan option is currently the assumed solution, but this is still to be confirmed.

It remains to be seen whether the strong support voiced by Salvini will have an impact upon the decision-making process.

Speaking on a visit to Piedmont, he said: "Let's see if we can include a piece of Piedmont.

"Piedmont [previously] wanted to stay out [of the bid for the Games].

“He therefore risks today staying out of the Games which will bring Italy to the eyes of the whole world and which will guarantee economic spin-offs of at least five billion euros."

The support was welcomed by the authorities of Turin and Piedmont, led respectively led by Stefano Lo Russo of the Democratic Party and Alberto Cirio of Forza Italia.

They have demonstrated cross-party enthusiasm over the prospect of involvement in the Games.

In a joint statement, they said: "The will expressed by the Government to consider the option of Turin as one of the sites of the next Games of 2026 is really excellent news.

"We continue to believe that this event is extremely important for Italy and we would be happy to contribute to the success of the event, especially from the point of view of economic and environmental sustainability.

"We have been working in close synergy for months so that Turin and Piedmont can play a leading role."