Kazakhstan will replace Saudi Arabia as host of the 2029 Asian Winter Games, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) announced on the sidelines of the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina. The OCA named Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, as the new venue.
The Games had originally been scheduled for Neom, the Red Sea mega-project in northwestern Saudi Arabia, centered on the Trojena mountain tourism resort. OCA President Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani praised Kazakhstan’s winter-sports tradition and recalled memories of Almaty hosting the Asian Winter Games in 2011. “We have no doubt we will build on this legacy and deliver an unforgettable Games in 2029,” he said.
The switch follows an earlier agreement in January between Saudi Arabia and the OCA to delay staging the Games at Trojena after Riyadh moved to push back the ski-resort’s completion. A source at the Saudi Olympic Committee told Reuters the kingdom still aims to host the Games in the future and that the delay could provide time to develop a winter-sports culture.
The postponement compounds challenges for Neom, a flagship of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030. The project — which includes ambitious plans for mirror-encased, kilometer-spanning structures and other large developments — has faced repeated delays and questions about feasibility amid rising costs and weaker oil revenue. Observers say Riyadh has had to reassess several major projects due to budgetary pressures and construction setbacks.
Edited by: Zac Crellin
