A delegation, including their chief executive David Grevemberg, visited Canadian city Toronto where they were shown around venues used at the 2015 Pan American Games. From there, the CGF headed to Victoria for a "two-way information exchange" as the capital of British Columbia also considers a bid.

It appears that Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur will be the next stop as the process to find a replacement for South African city Durban - stripped of the hosting rights earlier this year after they failed to meet financial guarantees - continues. One imagines that the CGF will then conduct similar visits in Australia, where Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney have all been touted for a bid.

Birmingham and Liverpool are the firmest contenders from England so far, while a left-field suggestion for Wales to help either city stage the Games emerged yesterday. While it sounds like Wales would be rather selective in what they would assist with, the country is another interesting addition into the unexpected and intriguing second running of the 2022 bid race.

The first race itself was rather disappointing, with Canada's candidate Edmonton - Durban's sole rival - withdrawing as oil prices plummeted. While the CGF would continually stress their support for the first African Commonwealth Games, there were doubts over Durban actually getting the job done.

After visiting the city when the CGF's Evaluation Commission assessed their bid, I described the CGF and Durban's partnership as a "marriage of convenience". It was one which became increasingly inconvenient in the following months as Durban rallied against including certain sports and continued to miss key deadlines which would ultimately see the event taken away.

It is fair to say there is a sense of surprise at how popular the second bid race has been, with cities in four countries all expressing an interest.

insidethegames editor Duncan Mackay wrote last month that the International Olympic Committee could learn from the enthusiasm generated towards the Commonwealth Games race.

However, given the interest, there is surely a case for the CGF to follow down the IOC's seemingly inevitable path of awarding two Games at once.

The 2022 Commonwealth Games are currently due to be re-awarded later this year, while the 2026 event will be dished out at the CGF General Assembly in 2019.

In the space of two years the 2022 Games have been awarded to a sole candidate and then stripped from them, but now four countries have thrown their hat into the ring to stage the event. However, come 2019 interested cities might have cooled towards the idea of a 2026 bid.

It seems unrealistic to suggest that the list of cities interested is likely to grow in the coming two years. An African Commonwealth Games seems a distant prospect at the moment, Wales have ruled out the prospect of 2026 and there would be a reluctance to head back to India after problems at New Delhi 2010. India also look likely to have the 2030 Asian Games to think about.

New Zealand and Singapore would seem like the countries, realistically, who could swell the number of potential hosts nations the CGF have to choose from now.

In this respect, it would make some sense for the CGF to include the selection of a 2026 host as part of their search now. Should all four countries eventually end up with a candidate city for the event, the CGF could find themselves spoilt for choice, with each nation previously showing they hold expertise in staging major sporting events.

It could be counterproductive if they were to select one candidate from the bunch, only to invite the losing bids to return to the table shortly afterwards to take part in the 2026 process. It is not impossible to think that a jilted city might turn their nose up at the prospect of featuring in a candidature process, albeit under different circumstances, twice in a short period.

Right now, the CGF find themselves with a wide choice for 2022. The CGF and the potential hosts could build upon the relationships created in the ongoing selection process with a view to selecting a 2026 city as well.

It would certainly be a good way of putting to use information gained during their tours. They have been billed as including a "rigorous on-the-ground feasibility assessment and dialogue regarding hosting capacity and capability, resourcing and legacy ambitions".

By getting on the ground and speaking to potential hosts, it also serves the CGF well in aiding their possible feasibility studies as they can lend their expertise and highlight their needs. It would certainly stop absurdly high figures for hosting being touted, such as the £1.5 billion (£1.1 billion/€1.3 billion) cost the Welsh Government concluded the event would cost when they scrapped a 2026 bid last year.

In the event the CGF opted to select a host for 2022 and 2026 from their currently strong pool, you could make a case for the Games likely enjoying four successful editions on the spin. An impressive 2014 Games in Glasgow looks likely to be followed by an equally strong effort in Gold Coast next year.

There is certainly a case for the CGF tying down the next two hosts of the multi-sport event in the coming months.