Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) chief executive Katie Sadleir said the organisation was considering launching a study to assess the feasibility of holding smaller events in the years when the Games are not taking place in a bid to "lift the profile of Commonwealth sport on an ongoing basis".

Sadlier claimed further competitions could help to provide hosting opportunities for countries that have yet to stage the Games and give International Federations (IFs) looking to be part of the Commonwealth programme the chance to showcase their sport.

Jamaica is the only Caribbean nation to have staged the Commonwealth Games, with Kingston playing host in 1966.

Africa has never held the Commonwealth Games, with Durban in South Africa axed as host of the 2022 edition in 2017 over a lack of Government assurances.

Sadleir said it was important to offer chances to smaller nations to stage events when, she claimed, hosting the Commonwealth Games is "a little bit out of reach right now".

"I spoke at the Sports Ministers conference [in Birmingham]," Sadleir said, speaking exclusively to insidethegames.

"There was a real statement from several of the African Sports Ministers saying, 'When are we going to get the Games down to Africa?'

"It’s a big exercise.

"There could be a concept in the future as we are developing our strategic plan that says why don’t we have a Caribbean Games or African Games in between the main Games where you sit down and identify well in the future - two or three countries put their hands up saying they really want to do this - and create some sort of governance structure?

"You then work with those countries to find our which are the right sports for those countries and we run something that is a little bit more regional.

"We are nowhere near that as we need to do some feasibility to see how that might work but as a concept of creating opportunity for countries to help with their facility development, their policy development in sport and looking at their long-term development for the health of their nation, maybe that’s something we can look at."

Sadlier also suggested the possibility of combing Commonwealth Championships which are held by some IFs and staging them at the same time every year.

"What we do need to do is lift the profile of Commonwealth sport on an ongoing basis rather than one every four years," said Sadeir.

"We peak and then we wait another four years to peak again.

"People talk about the Commonwealth Games as being the 'Friendly Games'.

"It is a special connection people have in the Commonwealth so having the opportunity to profile the sport and the connection they have in their home countries is really special.

"The major Games are maybe a little bit out of reach right now for them so we need to see how we can break down parts that are really exceptional to give people the opportunity to be involved."

Sadleir said the possibility of holding further events may form part of the CGF’s new strategic plan which is expected to be launched next year.

Drop-in sessions are taking place during Birmingham 2022 to enable people to have their say on the future of Commonwealth sport.

The CGF is then expected to create focus groups to discuss ideas before putting together a draft plan to put out to wider membership.

"The new strategy will hopefully be signed off at the end of the year," added Sadleir.

"The timeline is 2023 to 2024, so it is a long-term strategy but I would like to think that by next year we could do a feasibility study into what an African Games might look like and start working with the members there to say, ‘Would this work or now?

"'How can we work together on this?'"

At the CGF General Assembly held before Birmingham 2022, it was confirmed that Trinidad and Tobago will stage Commonwealth Youth Games in 2023.

The Caribbean country was initially awarded hosting rights for the 2021 Commonwealth Youth Games, but the COVID-19 pandemic and reshuffling of the sporting calendar led to that edition being postponed.