Olympics considering alternatives to Neom hosting Asian Winter Games

Olympic organisers have reportedly approached South Korea about hosting the 2029 Asian Winter Games over doubts about whether Saudi Arabia's unbuilt Trojena ski resort will be ready in time.

According to a report by news agency Reuters, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has formally contacted the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC) to sound out the idea of the country hosting the event, which is currently planned to take place at the not-yet-built Trojena ski resort.

"Senior OCA officials met the KSOC president last month and asked about South Korea potentially hosting the games in 2029, the KSOC official said, speaking on condition of anonymity, adding that the OCA had subsequently made the enquiry in a formal letter to the KSOC," wrote Reuters.

Saudi Arabia made headlines when it announced that it had won the right to host the winter games "in the heart of the desert" at its under-construction Neom region in 2021.

However, hosting the games has set a hard deadline on the completion of the resort, which is being designed by German architecture studio LAVA in the mountainous Tabuk region in northern Saudi Arabia.

Reports in several publications last week suggested that Neom was struggling to build the resort on the current timeline.

"Saudi Arabia is struggling to deliver its desert-defying ski resort for the 2029 Asian Winter Games and has held internal discussions about finding alternative countries to host the event, said five people familiar with the project," reported the Financial Times.

According to the Financial Times, one potential issue could be filling up the giant artificial lake required to create the artificial snow used for the resort's ski runs.

"Using a pipe with a diameter of one metre, as planned, would require water to flow at full capacity for at least two years to fill the lake," reported the newspaper.

It also highlighted issues with access to the mountainous site, which is only served by one road.

One of the lead contractors working on the project, Eversendai Corporation Berhad, addressed the concerns in a statement reported by business publication The Edge Malaysia.

"To address the pressures associated with tight deadlines and logistical challenges, the Saudi Arabian government is reportedly exploring the option of transferring the hosting rights for the Asian Winter Games to South Korea," said Eversendai Corporation Berhad.

"This strategic adjustment would provide the necessary time and flexibility to ensure the long-term success of the Trojena ski village project, without compromising its vision or objectives."

However, the contractor also stated that the project would "proceed as planned".

"As with any such project, early-stage challenges have emerged – particularly in relation to execution timelines and the unexpectedly complex terrain and rock conditions," the statement read.

"These issues, while significant, are not insurmountable."

Neom was contacted, but had not provided a response at the time of publishing.

Promising "year-round outdoor skiing", the resort is one of the key elements of the Neom mega project in the northwest of Saudi Arabia. It will be arranged around a giant artificial lake and contain buildings designed by UNStudio, Zaha Hadid Architects, and Aedas.

Alongside Trojena, Neom will consist of a 170-kilometre-long city called The Line, a port city designed by BIG and numerous hotels on the Red Sea. It is the largest and most high-profile of 14 gigaprojects being developed in Saudi Arabia as part of the Saudi Vision 2030 plan to shift the country's economy away from a reliance on oil.

It has been criticised widely on human rights and sustainability grounds, and last year, Dezeen asked if it was time for architecture studios to walk away from the project in the face of mounting pressure from campaigners.

Following the departure of CEO Nadhmi al-Nasr at the end of last year, Neom is undertaking a broad review and is reportedly "considering significantly cutting its workforce".

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