The mountainous nation, which is surrounded by South Africa, is the only country in the world which is completely above 1,000 metres in elevation.

It also has the "highest lowest point" of any nation, at 1,400 metres, and boasts the rarity of an African ski resort.

Training at altitude creates more red blood cells, in turn allowing an athlete to carry more oxygen. 

This extra oxygen gives the muscles a boost, even when training back down at a lower level.

"When they train at this high altitude it can give them a better chance of performing well at a lower level, at the sea level," said Fetang Selialia, Lesotho's Chef de Mission for Birmingham 2022.

"Most of our athletes like training in the lowlands! 

"But if you train in the mountains you can perform much, much better. 

"We will see how we can take them to high altitude, spend some time there and train around there. 

"So when we come over to Birmingham they give their best performance." 

Lesotho is the coldest country in Africa, and temperatures can fall to just above freezing in winter.

"The weather is really starting to get cold here in Lesotho," said Selialia.

"So we want to take our athletes to Durban so it's a little bit warmer. 

"From Durban they go directly to Birmingham. 

"They can adjust to the weather."

Lesotho is due to send 21 athletes to the Commonwealth Games, including five men and five women in athletics.

The country won its only gold medal at Kuala Lumpur 1998 when Thabiso Moqhali finished first in the men's marathon. 

For the full Chef de Mission interview, click here.