Saudi Arabia Awarded Asian Winter Games

The Asian Winter Games are headed to the desert.

Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday that it has been awarded hosting duties for the 2029 games. The Asian Games feature member countries of the Olympic Council of Asia. 

• The 2029 event will be the first Asian Winter Games since 2017. The event has been held eight times since 1986, four of which were in Japan.
• The games will be held at Trojena, a project announced in March featuring plans to build a ski resort and other attractions in a mountain range near the Gulf of Aqaba coast with elevations ranging from 4,900 to 8,500.
• Saudi Arabia plans to complete the Trojena project by 2026.

The country has had to address security concerns around another flagship sporting event: March’s Formula 1 race in Jeddah. 

Missile strikes related to Saudi Arabia’s ongoing conflict with Yemen occurred within approximately 10 miles of the race during practice sessions. The race went forward after teams and organizers discussed canceling it.

Project NEOM

Trojena is part of an incredibly ambitious $500 billion project planned in Saudi Arabia that includes a futuristic city called The Line. 

The NEOM project is working with Mercedes’ Formula E and McLaren Racing’s Formula E and Extreme E teams on sports and sustainable technology.