Saudi Arabia have been pumping money into the world of sports in a bid to reposition the growing giant as a global power. And with their bold and ambitious play to host the Asian Winter Games 2029 in the as yet unbuilt Trojena resort, part of their huge and very ambitious NEOM plans – Saudi Arabia had been putting a lot of eggs into a quite shaky and very expensive basket.
In late January 2026, that basket seems to be unable to hold those sporting eggs as the Trojena project has been scaled back significantly, leading to the Saudi Winter games being postponed. Seemingly indefinitely, with some serious egg on the face of MBS (Mohammad Bin Salman, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia).
A Reality Check for Trojena
When Saudi Arabia won the bid for the 2029 Games in 2022, the proposal was met with both awe and skepticism. The plan involved creating a year-round ski destination in the Sarawat Mountains, featuring an artificial freshwater lake and 36 kilometers of ski slopes powered by man-made snow. While this might sound bold and ridiculous, we’ve looked at the logistics before and the fact that this wouldn’t be the first or only ski resort in the Middle East is testament that it wasn’t quite as absurd as you might first think.
However, as 2029 approached, the logistical and financial pressures of building a winter wonderland in the middle of an undeveloped region surrounded by desert became undeniable.
Sources indicate that construction delays at Trojena made the original deadline unworkable. The Public Investment Fund (PIF), Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth engine, has reportedly been reviewing its massive portfolio of “Giga-projects” to prioritize sectors with quicker returns and projects with immovable deadlines, such as the 2030 World Expo in Riyadh and the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
In short, there are other sports that can be hosted in Saudi without needing to full create a whole region and supporting infrastructure from scratch…
The Impact on the 2029 Winter Games
Most obviously, this postponement leaves the 2029 edition of the Asian Winter Games in a state of flux. With Saudi Arabia officially stepping back from the immediate date, the OCA has turned to seasoned hosts to fill the void. Reports suggest that Almaty, Kazakhstan -which has a rich history of hosting winter sports (not to mention access to consistent snow) – is the frontrunner to take over the 2029 hosting duties, with a formal agreement expected as early as February 2026.
South Korea and China, both recent Olympic hosts, have also been approached as potential alternatives.
For the athletes and the Winter Asiad brand, this delay avoids the risk of a half-finished venue or environmental controversy. However, it also delays the expansion of winter sports into West Asia, a key goal of the original bid.
Strategic Pivot: Quality Over Speed
While it might sound like game over for Saudi’s snow sports plans, the Kingdom isn’t abandoning its winter ambitions entirely. The new agreement with the OCA outlines a phased approach, where Saudi Arabia will host a series of standalone winter sports events in the coming years. This strategy is designed to build a culture of winter sports and train local technical staff before attempting a multi-sport continental event.
By pushing the Games back, potentially to 2033, Saudi Arabia is choosing pragmatism over ego, a sentiment echoed by Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan during recent project reviews. The delay ensures that when Trojena finally does welcome the world, it will be a fully operational, sustainable marvel rather than a rushed construction site. But of course, time will tell…
Ultimately, the postponement of the 2029 Games is a clear indicator that even the most ambitious visions must eventually reconcile with the realities of global economics and engineering. For now, the dream of desert skiing remains on ice.
