Saudi Arabia postpones 2029 Asian Winter Games planned for NEOM’s Trojena
Saudi Arabia and the Olympic Council of Asia agreed to postpone the 2029 Asian Winter Games, originally slated for Trojena, a planned ski resort inside the NEOM megaproject, highlighting the pressures on the kingdom’s high-cost global-event ambitions.
A signature event put on hold
Saudi Arabia’s planned hosting of the 2029 Asian Winter Games at Trojena—an artificial, year-round ski destination inside the NEOM development—has been postponed, with no new date announced.
Why the postponement is significant
The Winter Games were one of the headline international sports projects tied to Saudi Arabia’s push to remake its global image through major events and mega-infrastructure. The decision revives questions about feasibility, timelines, and costs for projects in an arid climate.
What comes next
Instead of the full Winter Games, the plan is to stage standalone winter-sport events in the coming years, while the kingdom continues preparations for other major commitments such as the 2030 World Expo in Riyadh and the 2034 FIFA World Cup.