Dylan Bettencourt
Saudi Arabia has been announced as the host of the 2029 Asian Winter Games.
The games will be held in an R8 trillion megacity in the desert.
Saudi Arabia has been increasing its role in sports in recent years but this may be its boldest move yet: hosting an event where snow is the key figure in a country without any snow.
The nation’s bid for the 47-game event was “unanimously approved” by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).
The games are to be held in Trojena, an area of the country’s Neom project where “winter temperatures drop below zero celsius and year-round temperatures are generally 10 degrees cooler than the rest of the region”, the project’s website explained.
The Trojena project is set to be completed by 2026 and will offer outdoor skiing and a man-made freshwater lake as well as a nature reserve.
The OCA promised in a statement that “the deserts and mountains of Saudi Arabia will soon be a playground for winter sports”.
The Asian Winter Games include skiing, snowboarding, ice hockey and figure skating.
Of the 47 events, 28 take place in the snow and 10 are staged on ice.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman introduced the Neom project in an attempt to reduce the country’s reliance on oil in order to transform the economy, the Times reported.
Saudi Arabia has been frequently accused of sportswashing, using high-profile events to boost its international image and overall reputation, with several claiming it is a method to divert from its poor human rights record.
Saudi Arabia has hosted several world-title boxing fights and a Formula 1 Grand Prix. It is also behind the breakaway LIV Golf tour.
Its Public Investment Fund is also an 80% owner of Premier League football club Newcastle United.
Winter games have been under severe threat in recent years, with China coming under fire for having to produce fake snow for the Winter Olympics earlier this year.
Image source: @ArabianNews
