Asian winter 2029 games: Saudi Arabia in great difficulty for its ski resort project

Saudi Arabia could lose the organization of winter Asian games in 2029. Planned in the futuristic resort of Trojena, in the heart of the gigantic Neom project estimated at $ 500 billion, the event is threatened by serious delays. Technical problems, additional costs and engineering difficulties make site delivery more and more unlikely on time. According to the Financial TimesChina and South Korea are envisaged as an alternative.

Thought to accommodate 30 km of artificial tracks and 700,000 visitors per year, Trojena had to symbolize the disproportionate ambition of Riyadh. But the site, perched at 2,600 meters above sea level, accumulates obstacles, to force the authorities to bring drinking water by tanker trucks. Behind the futuristic image, criticisms are multiplying: forced evictions of local populations, in particular of the Huwaitat tribe, damage to human rights and staggering costs for a project judged by many megalomaniacs and reflection of an ultra-consumerist company, where the human is relegated to the background, financed with petrodollars.

Beyond delays, this project illustrates the limits of the Saudi bet: transform a desert into a winter sports station to impress the world. The potential failure of Trojena calls into question the credibility of the “civilizational revolution” praised by Mohammed bin Salmane, and underlines how political ambition and communication can come up against economic, human and environmental realities. This controversy also reveals a broader paradox: at a time when the planet faces the climate crisis and a global water shortage, building an artificial ski resort in the middle of the desert appears as a symbol of total disconnection. Saudi Arabia, which seeks to restore its international image through sport, risks leaving its prestige more than gaining credibility.