The proposal from Chengdu and Chongqing was included in a Government document released on Friday.

According to state-owned China Daily, the document said the cities hoped to host a future edition of the Olympics as a "boost for social economic development in the region".

It is claimed an Olympic Games would be part of a "national strategy to develop the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle".

Wei, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) honorary life vice-president, has cooled talk surrounding the bid.

The veteran official told the South China Morning Post that it was only an idea at this stage.

"It’s just an idea in someone’s head," Wei said.

"Anyone can say anything but it’s only an idea.

"The Chinese Olympic Committee has not said anything and I’m not taking it seriously for now.

"For me, we have to give a chance to other cities around the world.

"We already have the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing and according to International Olympic Committee policy, they want to reduce costs.

"This allows other cities around the world to make realistic bids."

Wei, who currently chairs the OCA Evaluation Committee for 2030 Asian Games bids, also suggested the 300-kilometre distance between the cities would be a challenge, were they to co-host.

Chengdu is set to host the World University Games next year and the World Games in 2025.

Interest from Chengdu and Chongqing comes after Shanghai conducted a feasibility study on hosting the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games back in November 2018.

There has been little mention of Shanghai's potential bid since, seemingly opening the door for another Chinese candidature for the Games.

China's capital Beijing staged the Summer Olympics in 2008 and is due to host the Winter Games in 2022.

A coalition of human rights groups has called on the IOC to strip Beijing of the 2022 Winter Olympics, however, because of its alleged mistreatment of its own citizens.

Human rights groups have said China should face action following a backlash over its clampdown in Hong Kong and the alleged mass internment of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang.

Queensland has been considered the frontrunner to host the 2032 Olympic Games, with the Australian bid centred around Brisbane.

Jakarta in Indonesia, Doha in Qatar, Rhein-Ruhr in Germany and India have all expressed interest in bidding.

Hasan Arat, vice-president of the Turkish Olympic Committee, has urged Istanbul to attempt to host the Games in 2032.

A joint bid from South Korea and North Korea had been mooted, but is highly unlikely to materialise given relations between the two have worsened since the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) changed the way it selects hosts for the Olympic Games as part of an overhaul of the bidding process approved last year.

The organisation created a Future Host Commission, which identifies and recommends venues for the Summer and Winter Games and enters into what the IOC calls a "continuous dialogue" with interested cities.

The 2032 host would have been decided in 2025 under the traditional process, but the IOC has not yet confirmed when it plans to award the Games.