The Asian Winter Games scheduled to be staged in Saudi Arabia in 2029 have been postponed, the Olympic Council of Asia and the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee announced on Saturday, with a new date yet to be confirmed.
In a joint statement, the two bodies said they had agreed on an updated framework for hosting the event, confirming that the 2029 edition would no longer go ahead as planned.
“The Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the Olympic Council of Asia have agreed on an updated framework for future hosting of the Asian Winter Games, confirming the postponement of the 2029 edition to a later date to be announced in due course,” the statement said.
Under the revised plans, Saudi Arabia will instead host a series of standalone winter sports competitions over the coming years. The OCA said these events are intended to promote winter sports while allowing more preparation time to support broader regional participation at future Asian Winter Games.
The postponement comes despite the OCA stating in August that preparations for the Games were on schedule, even as South Korea and China were being discussed as possible alternative hosts.
Saudi Arabia was unanimously awarded the Games in 2022, with plans to stage them at NEOM, the $500 billion megacity at the heart of the kingdom’s investment in major international sport. The Games were due to take place at Trojena, a planned mountain destination featuring a year-round winter sports complex.
However, progress on the ski resort has appeared to stall, and discussions had taken place about pushing the event back by four years. Media reports at the time suggested Saudi Arabia was considering asking South Korea or China to host the Games in 2029 instead.
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that the OCA approached Korean Sport and Olympic Committee president Ryu Seung-min to ask whether the country would be willing to step in. South Korea and China were seen as logical alternatives, having hosted the Winter Olympics in 2018 and 2022 respectively.
China also staged the Asian Winter Games earlier this year in the northern city of Harbin.
