What is Saudi Arabia's intention in taking over the Asian Winter Games?
The 9th Asian Winter Games came to a successful conclusion in Harbin on February 14. The next Asian Winter Games will be held in Saudi Arabia in 2029.
When Saudi Arabia won the right to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games, the global public opinion field set off a collision of "ice and fire". This country with an average annual temperature of over 30℃ and a desert coverage rate of over 90% became the first Middle Eastern host country in the history of the Asian Winter Games.
This event not only overturned the conventional logic of international sports events, but also reflected the "thrilling leap" of Saudi Arabia's development strategy. Saudi Arabia's success is by no means accidental, but a carefully planned "national brand reshaping campaign", behind which are intertwined energy transformation anxiety and multiple considerations of future industry positioning.
Frozen in the desert: Saudi Arabia's Trojena town puts a lot of effort into creating a snowy wonderland.
Trojena, the venue for the 2029 Asian Winter Games, is located in the NEOM project in northwestern Saudi Arabia. The area is 2,580 meters above sea level, with winter temperatures dropping to minus 5°C and a natural snowfall period of up to three months, providing basic conditions for skiing. Despite limited natural snowfall, Saudi Arabia plans to achieve year-round skiing through an artificial snowmaking system (double snowmaking system & seawater desalination technology), and draw on the experience of indoor ice and snow facilities in Harbin, China to build a constant temperature ice venue covering ice hockey, figure skating and other projects, and maintain the stability of the ice surface through a refrigeration system. In terms of energy consumption, in response to the challenge of water shortage in desert areas, Saudi Arabia has introduced water-saving artificial snowmaking equipment and optimized the water circulation system to reduce consumption. For example, melted snow and condensed water are collected for filtration and reuse, and drip irrigation technology is used to control the amount of water used for snowmaking.
In addition, all of Trojena 's venues and supporting facilities are powered by clean energy such as solar energy and wind energy, and are committed to achieving the goal of "zero carbon emissions". For example, ski lifts and lighting systems rely on photovoltaic power generation, and solar panels are integrated on the roof of the venue to reduce dependence on traditional energy. At the same time, the construction of the venue incorporates the concept of ecological protection, such as reducing damage to the mountain ecology through modular structures and using local drought-resistant plants for greening. Trojena 's planned "dome vertical village" combines ecological housing with intelligent temperature control systems, and uses natural ventilation and insulation materials to reduce energy consumption.
The site also includes complex facilities such as artificial freshwater lakes, luxury hotels and vertical ski villages, aiming to create a unique experience of "skiing and diving on the same day". As the core of Saudi Arabia's $500 billion NEOM plan, the project is expected to be completed in 2026 and will become the world's first outdoor ski resort in the desert. This project not only serves the Asian Winter Games, but also aims at long-term tourism revenue, and is expected to attract 150 million tourists by 2030.
Trillion-dollar ambition: NEOM's snow feast.
Trojena, the venue for the Asian Winter Games, is a core sub-project of Saudi Arabia's "New Future City" (NEOM), which plans to invest US$500 billion to build a future city integrating ice and snow sports, eco-tourism and entertainment.
NEOM is a microcosm of Saudi Arabia's "Vision 2030": to increase the contribution of the non-oil economy to GDP, create more jobs, achieve the leap from a resource-dependent economy to a knowledge-based economy and transform the economic structure, and enhance social welfare.
The ice and snow construction in the town of Trojena is the embodiment of Saudi Arabia's "curve-based national salvation". It uses the "ice and snow tourism economy" and cultural tourism industry as new economic growth poles to break free from the shackles of the oil economy and promote the growth of the non-oil economy.
Can the feast reach perfection?
The total investment in NEOM is expected to reach 1 trillion US dollars, covering about 26,500 square kilometers of desert and mountainous areas along the Red Sea coast in northwestern Saudi Arabia. The Crown Prince Fund PIF will provide financial support for infrastructure construction. In recent years, the NEOM project has faced problems such as project scale reduction, budget disputes and high-level personnel turmoil. As a sub-project of the Asian Winter Games Trojena Town, whether PIF's funds can fulfill its promised investment of 500 billion US dollars remains to be seen.
First, the scale of the project has been reduced, and the "blueprint for the future" has compromised with reality.
NEOM's iconic sub-project "The Line" was originally planned to build a 170-kilometer-long, 500-meter-high mirror-like vertical city, but according to Bloomberg and other media reports, its length has been reduced from the originally planned 106 miles (about 170 kilometers) to only 1.5 miles (about 2.4 kilometers), a reduction of 98.6%. Although NEOM officials denied this statement, calling it "false information," multiple reports pointed out that the Saudi government committee is reviewing the feasibility of the project and may cut spending.
Saudi Arabia originally planned to achieve a population of 1 million in NEOM by 2030, but the latest estimates show that the actual population may be less than 300,000, only 30% of the original target. This adjustment reflects the pressure on funding allocation.
Secondly, budget controversy.
The amount of funding for NEOM in 2024 is 20% less than the target budget, mainly because the Saudi sovereign fund PIF (Public Investment Fund) has tightened its allocation of project funds. PIF manages assets of US$925 billion, but in recent years it has tended to invest in high-return areas (such as technology and aerospace), resulting in financing pressure for long-term projects such as NEOM.
Thirdly, CEO "running away" and management problems
Nazmi Nasr, who had served as NEOM's CEO since 2018, suddenly resigned in November 2024. The official reason was not disclosed. People familiar with the matter said that his departure was related to the failure to achieve key performance indicators, including delayed project progress and poor financing.
NEOM has frequently adjusted its senior management structure in the past few years. This personnel change exposed the imbalance between the project's technical complexity, capital chain pressure and political goals.
In view of this, the construction of Trojena Town may face a gap between ideal and reality.
Qatar World Cup: What can Saudi Arabia learn from it?
Coincidentally, the last sports feast in the Middle East was the world-renowned Qatar World Cup, which made the Qatari royal family famous.
However, Qatar faces both dangers and opportunities during its hosting of the World Cup.
1. The super-large scale and complex environment increase the risk of construction delays
During the preparations for the Qatar World Cup, the construction of venues was seriously delayed due to the 2017 diplomatic crisis, which led to obstruction of construction material transportation and labor shortages. Only one venue was completed by 2021, and it was ultimately able to meet the target by relying on the sudden promise of "completing it one year ahead of schedule."
The scale of the NEOM project where Trojena is working is far larger than that of Qatar (with a total investment of US$1 trillion), involving the coordinated construction of ice and snow facilities, maglev transportation, eco-cities and other fields, and the technical complexity is higher. Among them, artificial snowmaking relies on seawater desalination and circulation systems, and the challenges of high desert temperatures to equipment stability may cause delays in technical commissioning and ecological compliance reviews, and the progress is lagging behind.
Saudi Arabia also relies on foreign workers (accounting for more than 40% of its population). If geopolitical conflicts or international pressure lead to a tightening of labor policies, Qatar's "work schedule crisis" may be repeated.
2. Qatar's tourism economy has a strong spillover effect. Can Saudi Arabia seize the opportunity of ice and snow events?
Qatar's global image has been enhanced after the successful hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and the longer-term economic benefits are still emerging. Looking at the tourism industry alone, tourist arrivals in 2023 will almost double the pre-pandemic level, and even reach new heights in 2024.
In addition to boosting Qatar's tourism industry, during the preparations for the World Cup, Qatar spent $300 billion on building public transportation, restaurants and hotels, public art projects, etc. After the games, these infrastructure projects have become a solid foundation for the rapid development of the country's cultural tourism, trade, finance and other industries, thus promoting Qatar's transformation from an energy-based country to a service-based country.
As Saudi Arabia is also a Gulf country in the Middle East, the construction of the small town of Trojena has broken the stereotype that there is no snow in the desert and filled the gap in ice and snow events in West Asia. However, how to use ice and snow tourism as a lever to continuously leverage economic growth in the future should be the focus of current consideration.
Chinese companies going global: infrastructure maniacs and digital construction services
In terms of ice and snow infrastructure and venue construction, Chinese companies can leverage their experience from the Beijing Winter Olympics to provide technical support in areas such as artificial snowmaking equipment, modular venue design, and energy-saving refrigeration systems, such as participating in the construction of ski resorts or ice venues. In addition, large-scale projects such as Saudi Arabia's NEOM Future City also involve infrastructure needs, and Chinese companies can deepen their participation based on existing cooperation with China Railway Construction Corporation and China Power Construction Corporation.
In terms of new energy and green technology applications, Saudi Arabia's Asian Winter Games facilities have pledged to use renewable energy, and Chinese companies can provide photovoltaic and energy storage solutions. At the same time, green infrastructure is in line with Saudi Arabia's "Vision 2030", and Chinese companies can use this to promote cooperation in photovoltaics, hydrogen energy and other fields.
In terms of digital construction services, Saudi Arabia is promoting digital transformation, and the Asian Winter Games requires support from digital management systems. Chinese companies can export technologies such as smart transportation and event security. For example, Huawei Cloud has helped Saudi companies transform, and similar experience can be replicated in event operations. In addition, low-altitude economy (such as drone inspections) also has potential application scenarios in event security.
From Harbin to Trukina, the "boundary-breaking" journey of the Asian Winter Games reflects the diversification trend of ice and snow sports in Asia. Saudi Arabia's hosting of the 2029 Asian Winter Games will break the pattern of the event being dominated by East Asian and Central Asian countries for a long time, and promote the penetration of winter sports into a wider region. Just as the concept conveyed by the Olympic Council of Asia - "Ice and snow are the shared wealth of all Asia."
Overall, the Saudi Arabia Asian Winter Games is like a gamble, with challenges and opportunities coexisting. Four years later in Saudi Arabia, let us witness the "Frozen" of the Asian Winter Games together.