Saudi Arabia win bid to host 2029 Asian Winter Games at desert megacity

Saudi Arabia said it has won a bid to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games at a planned mountain resort in the Gulf Arab state’s $500bn (£440bn) 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.

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 sq km (10,230 sq miles) high-tech development on the Red Sea, will include zero-carbon city “The Line” as well as industrial and logistics areas.