Computer-generated image of the Trojena ski resort, which will no longer host the 2029 Asian Winter Games (Credit: Neom)
“I never imagined I could ski in my own country,” said Saudi alpine skier Fayik Abdi in October 2022, following the controversial selection of Riyadh to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games. And he was right. In a joint statement released Saturday, the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SOPC) and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) officially announced the postponement of the event to an unspecified date. The decision puts a stop to the grandiose ambitions of the multi-billion dollar Trojena complex — the luxury ski resort within the Neom megaproject, nestled in the mountains of Tabuk province — which was set to debut with the Winter Games. Despite reassuring messages from the OCA, which insisted in August that preparations were on schedule, reality caught up: the planned ski slopes in the heart of the Saudi desert will not materialize......
“I never imagined I could ski in my own country,” said Saudi alpine skier Fayik Abdi in October 2022, following the controversial selection of Riyadh to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games. And he was right. In a joint statement released Saturday, the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SOPC) and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) officially announced the postponement of the event to an unspecified date. The decision puts a stop to the grandiose ambitions of the multi-billion dollar Trojena complex — the luxury ski resort within the Neom megaproject, nestled in the mountains of Tabuk province — which was set to debut with the Winter Games. Despite reassuring messages from the OCA, which insisted in August that preparations were on schedule, reality caught up: the planned ski slopes in the heart of the Saudi desert will not...
