Saudi Arabia’s NEOM, the futuristic green city that has been gaining a lot of traction is going to be home to Asia’s 2029 Winter Games. Today, at a general assembly in Cambodia, the Olympic council of Asia approved the Kingdom’s request to host Asia’s biggest sporting event at Trojena, the country’s first ski destination in NEOM.
Since 1983, the Asian Winter games have been held once every four years in countries like Japan and Kazakhstan. The event brings together 32 Asian countries who compete in several activities including alpine skiing, biathlon and figure skating.
This is considered the first time that a West Asian nation would be the official host of the Asian Winter Games as well as the first time a sporting event will be held in a new innovative city like NEOM.
Located in the center of NEOM, the ski resort will be a year round global destination for mountain tourism as it’s home to some of Saudi Arabia’s highest peaks that can reach up to 2600 meters above sea level. The resort plans to offer unique winter experiences that one would not think possible for a Kingdom known for its hot, arid desert climate and white sands.
This new destination defies the odds its temperatures alone will be a new shift for the Kingdom. Not only will Trojena’s average temperature be 10 degrees lower than the rest of the cities of Saudi Arabia, during winter, visitors will have to get cosy and warm as temperatures will drop below zero degrees.
What Can You Do There?
NEOM’s mountain based city is planned to be divided into six districts: Explore, Discover, Gateway, Valley, Relax and Fun; visitors would head to the district of their liking based on their mood and desired activities.
Thrill seekers and sports enthusiasts will rejoice as Trojena plans to offer a wide range of activities including skiing across its sloping hills as well as mountain biking and snowboarding. Vacation goers seeking a relaxing stay will get to enjoy Trojena’s many luxury and family friendly resorts including the Bow Hotel. Shopping enthusiasts on the other hand will probably head to its vertical village known as the Vault which will be home to several retail stores and restaurants. While Nature lovers will get to admire the city’s large man made freshwater lake surrounding Trojena.
The upcoming winter sports event follows in tow with King Salman’s attempts at transforming Saudi Arabia into a sports hub. The country has big plans as it will continue to dip its toes into the world of sports with Riyadh scheduled to host next year’s World Combat games as well as the 2034 Asian Games. The Kingdom has already been home to prominent sporting events including the Formula One Grand Pix.
So far, however, this is one of the biggest sporting events that will be held in the region with Prince Fahad stressing that Trojena would be the “most athlete-centric Asian Winter Games in history”.
