At a time when several major French cities are announcing that they are boycotting the FIFA World Cup in Qatar for environmental and humanitarian reasons, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) announced on Tuesday 4 October that the desert kingdom of Saudi Arabia will host the 2029 Asian Winter Games.
The sporting events will take place at Neom, a futuristic megalopolis under construction in the northwest of the kingdom. “The deserts and mountains of Saudi Arabia will soon be a playground for winter sports”said the OCA in a press release reporting the decision taken during its general assembly in Phnom Penh.
Located on the shores of the Red Sea, the Neom project, worth several hundred billion dollars and carried by the powerful crown prince, Mohammed Ben Salman, has been widely talked about since the first announcement made in 2017. Architects and economists have questioned its feasibility.
The Asian Winter Games should precisely take place in Trojena, a mountainous sector of Neom, “where temperatures drop below zero degrees in winter and where temperatures throughout the year are generally 10 degrees lower” by the sea, the developers claim on their website, without mentioning the issue of rainfall. Trojena, which is expected to be completed in 2026, will include year-round ski slopes, an artificial freshwater lake, chalets, mansions and luxury hotels, according to the same source.
“Create a winter atmosphere in the heart of the desert”
Mohammed Ben Salman holds the post of chairman of Neom’s board of directors. De facto ruler of the kingdom, he promised with this project of “redefining mountain tourism in the world”, while respecting the principles of ecotourism. Neom director Nadhmi Al-Nasr, for his part, claimed that Trojena would be given “adequate infrastructure to create a winter atmosphere in the heart of the desert, and to make these Winter Games an unprecedented global event”.
The Asian Winter Games include competitions in skiing, snowboarding, ice hockey and figure skating, comprising 47 events, including 28 on snow and 19 on ice, according to the OCA. “I never thought I would ski [un jour] in my country “reacted Tuesday the Saudi alpine skier Fayik Abdile, quoted in the press release of the organization.
Sporting events have multiplied in recent years in Saudi Arabia, accused by NGOs of wanting to divert attention from human rights abuses in the kingdom. In an interview with Agence France-Presse, the Saudi Minister of Sports, Prince Abdul Aziz Ben Turki Al-Faiçal, recently mentioned his country’s wish to organize one day the Olympic Games.
An Egyptian official said last month that Egypt, Greece and Saudi Arabia had started discussions on a possible joint bid for the FIFA World Cup in 2030.