Star Metro - Saudi to host Asian Winter Games in NEOM megacity

"The deserts and mountains of Saudi Arabia will soon be a playground for winter sports," the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) said in a statement on the decision made during its general assembly meeting in Phnom Penh.

The Saudi bid was "unanimously approved", the statement said, noting that the megacity known as NEOM will be the first West Asian city to host the event.

First announced in 2017, NEOM has consistently raised eyebrows for proposed flourishes like flying taxis and robot maids, even as architects and economists have questioned its feasibility.

In July, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman unveiled plans for a project within NEOM known as The Line, two parallel mirror-encased skyscrapers extending over 170 kilometres of mountain and desert terrain.

The Asian Winter Games are slated to take place in Trojena, an area of NEOM "where winter temperatures drop below zero celsius and year-round temperatures are generally 10 degrees cooler than the rest of the region", according to the project's website.

Set to be completed in 2026, Trojena will include year-round skiing, a manmade freshwater lake, chalets, mansions and ultra-luxury hotels, the website says.

The Asian Winter Games include competitions for skiing, snowboarding, ice hockey and figure skating -- 47 events in all, 28 on snow and 10 on ice, the OCA said.

Saudi Arabia has drawn criticism for alleged "sportswashing" -- hosting high-profile boxing, Formula 1 and other contests to divert attention from its human rights record.

An Egyptian official said in September that Egypt, Greece and Saudi Arabia were in talks on a proposal to jointly host the 2030 World Cup football tournament.

P.M.Martin--SMC