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Saudi Arabia has confirmed the postponement of the 2029 Asian Winter Games, which were scheduled to be held at the Trojena mountain destination in Neom, in the northwest of the kingdom.

The confirmation came on 25 January, when the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the Saudi Olympic & Paralympic Committee (SOPC) released a joint statement saying that they have agreed to indefinitely postpone the event.

The OCA and SOPC have yet to announce a revised timeline or confirm whether another country will now host the event.

In October 2022, Trojena was chosen to host the Asian Winter Games in 2029, as MEED previously reported.

Construction is progressing on the Trojena Ski Village project; however, the overall infrastructure required for the venue to be ready remains behind schedule.

The most recent edition of the Asian Winter Games was held in February last year in the city of Harbin, China.

Japan held the first edition in 1986 and went on to host four of the previous editions of the event.

China has hosted three editions, while South Korea and Kazakhstan have each hosted the games once.

South Korea staged the Winter Youth Olympics in 2024, using mostly the same venues built for the 2018 Winter Olympics in the eastern province of Gangwon.

In August last year, MEED reported that high-level discussions had started regarding changing the 2029 Asian Winter Games venue, possibly from Saudi Arabia to South Korea. 

According to reports in South Korean media, citing a senior Korean Sport & Olympic Committee official, the OCA had contacted the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee about the possibility of hosting the event.

The report added that the meeting was followed by an official letter sent by the OCA to South Korea.