Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday it has won a bid to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games at a planned mountain resort in the Gulf Arab state's $500 billion flagship NEOM project.
The TROJENA development is expected to be completed in 2026 and will offer outdoor skiing, a man-made freshwater lake and a nature reserve, according to the project's website.
"With the unlimited support by the Saudi leadership & HRH Crown Prince to the sport sector we are proud to announce we have won the bid to host AWG TROJENA2029 as the first country in west Asia," Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal said on Twitter.
TROJENA is part of NEOM’s strategy to help support and develop the tourism sector in the region.
Currently taking shape in the mountains of northwest Saudi Arabia, TROJENA will feature unique and innovative architecture in a place where the captivating landscapes will coexist in harmony with the tourist sites.
It will offer an experience unlike anything else in the world, including the Gulf region’s first outdoor skiing.
NEOM is Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's most ambitious project under the Kingdom's Vision 2030 development plan to reduce reliance on oil and transform the economy, including by developing sports.
NEOM, a 26,500-square-km (10,230-square-mile) high-tech development on the Red Sea, will include zero-carbon city "The Line", as well as industrial and logistics areas.
