2029 Asian Winter Games in Saudi Arabia postponed

RIYADH: The Asian Winter Games, due to be held in Saudi Arabia in 2029, have been postponed, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee said in a joint statement on Saturday.

“The Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the (OCA) have agreed on an updated framework for future hosting of the Asian Winter Games, confirming the postponement of the 2029 edition to a later date to be announced in due course,” the bodies said.

“Under the revised framework, Saudi Arabia will host a series of standalone winter sports events in the coming years. These competitions are designed to promote winter sports… while providing additional preparation time to support wider regional representation at future Asian winter events,” the statement added.

In August, the OCA had said preparations for the games were on schedule after South Korea and China emerged as potential replacements.

The OCA in 2022 unanimously approved the desert kingdom’s bid to stage the Games at its $500 billion megacity NEOM, part of Saudi Arabia’s splurge on major sporting events, including the 2034 football World Cup.

However, Riyadh has appeared to stall on delivery of the ski resortand had discussed staging the event four years later than planned.

The Saudis were mulling approaching South Korea and China to instead play host in 2029, media reports at the time indicated.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that the OCA asked Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) president Ryu Seung-min if the country would be willing to replace Saudi Arabia.

South Korea and China had been suggested as potential replacements because they hosted the Winter Olympics in 2018 and 2022 respectively.

China also staged the Asian Winter Games in its northern city of Harbin in February.

The futuristic and under-construction NEOM was to feature a year-round winter sports complex in the mountains of Trojena.