Asian Winter Games Could Be Delayed by Saudi Arabia

At an altitude of over 2,600 meters, in the heart of the desert, Saudi Arabia dares to imagine snow where before there was only rock and silence. There, between arid ridges and valleys yet to be built, Trojena is being planned, the country's first ski resort and the winter jewel of Neom, the futuristic megacity that seeks to redefine landscape and time.

Its promise is to transform a mountainside into an Olympic setting, capable of hosting the 2029 Asian Winter Games.

An ambition that defies logic

The project was announced in 2022 with a vision as daring as it was disruptive. Trojena not only wants to offer snow in the middle of the desert but also to turn it into a world center for winter sports. A resort of over 60 km², with 30 skiable kilometers, an artificial lake, luxury hotels, and snow production fed by desalinated water from the Red Sea, more than 200 km away.

The first images are otherworldly: sculptural architecture, perfect slopes, and the largest crane on the planet working tirelessly on virgin terrain. Still, the question persists. Will it be ready by 2029?

Conversations that do not go unnoticed

The doubts have led the Saudi kingdom to explore alternative scenarios. According to Financial Times and Bloomberg, informal conversations have begun with countries such as China and South Korea, both with Olympic experience and technical capacity to host the Games if needed.

Korea has confirmed preliminary contacts. China, for now, denies being aware of any changes. But the possibility of a postponement until 2033 is beginning to take shape behind the scenes.

Snow on sand

The biggest obstacle is not logistical, but natural. It does not snow in Trojena. At least, not like in Sapporo, Harbin, or Gangwon. Therefore, the entire operation depends on artificial snow systems, capable of creating a white blanket all year round, even at 40 degrees in the valley.

A first test has already been presented: a small indoor slope, generated with conventional snow, as a demonstration of viability. But a prototype is one thing, and a full-scale Olympic city is another.

Between utopia and symbol

Trojena is not just a winter complex. It is a declaration of intent, a symbol of national transformation under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030. Its construction goes beyond sport: it represents the ambition to create a new development model, where luxury, innovation, and the improbable coexist.

Like Le Refuge de Solaise in the French Alps, Trojena aims to be more than a ski resort. It wants to be a new imaginary, a place where snow becomes an experience, where the mountain is designed from scratch, and where the impossible is considered a starting point.

A future suspended between blueprints and promises

As work continues and machinery operates day and night, the future of the 2029 Games remains suspended. Between the certainty of a colossal plan and the urgency of deadlines, Saudi Arabia will have to decide whether to proceed or temporarily pass the torch to other countries with real snow and gained time.

But if Trojena delivers on its promises, global skiing could turn a new page. One where, for the first time, the desert is also synonymous with winter.