Home Architecture News Saudi Arabia to host Asian Winter Games in desert
Architecture News

Saudi Arabia to host Asian Winter Games in desert

Share
Saudi Arabia to host Asian Winter Games in desert
Share
Saudi Arabia to host Asian Winter Games in desert

Saudi Arabia plans to hold the 2029 Asian Winter Games at a mountain resort. The Trojena project, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, UNStudio, Aedas, LAVA, and Bureau Proberts, is set to be completed by 2026 and will offer winter sports, including skiing “year-round.”

The tourism attraction will include the Gulf’s first outdoor ski resort, an artificial lake, and renewable energy. There will be natural snow on the mountains, but there will also be some artificial snow.

Learn more about 170-kilometer long Saudi Arabia futuristic megacity: The Line

Saudi Arabia to host Asian Winter Games in desert

According to Saudi sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Faisal, “With the unlimited support by the Saudi leadership and HRH Crown Prince to the sports sector, we are proud to announce we have won the bid to host AWG TROJENA2029 as the first country in western Asia.”

The resort, which will “provide year-round outdoor skiing,” is being developed around 50 kilometers from the shore of the Gulf of Aqaba in a mountainous location with heights ranging from 1,500 to 2,600 meters.

Saudi Arabia to host Asian Winter Games in desert

This decision has received a lot of criticism. Madeleine Orr, from Loughborough University, who works at the intersection of sport and climate change, told BBC Sport: “From a business standpoint, it makes complete sense to go to a new market and try to grow winter sport there.” Also, she added: “These growth goals are antithetical to environmental goals: there’s no version of a winter sports event in Saudi Arabia that will be sustainable as it will require enormous water and energy resources, indoor sports spaces, and an insane amount of travel.”

Share
Written by
Serra Utkum Ikiz

Serra is passionate about researching and discussing cities, with a particular love for writing on urbanism, politics, and emerging design trends.

Leave a comment

Leave a Reply

Related Articles
Holcim and ELEMENTAL Present Carbon-Storing Concrete for Buildings at Venice Biennale
Architecture News

Holcim and ELEMENTAL Present Carbon-Storing Concrete for Buildings at Venice Biennale

At the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, a collaboration between Holcim and Pritzker...

Luxembourg’s Sonic Pavilion Tunes Into the Architecture of Sound
Architecture NewsPavilion

Luxembourg’s Sonic Pavilion Tunes Into the Architecture of Sound

Opening on May 10, 2025, at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of...

BIG Reimagines Dubai’s Jebel Ali Racecourse as a Walkable Eco-District
Architecture News

BIG Reimagines Dubai’s Jebel Ali Racecourse as a Walkable Eco-District

The historic Jebel Ali Racecourse in Dubai is about to undergo a significant...

MVRDV’s SOMBRA Pavilion Showcases Dynamic Shading at Venice Time Space Existence Exhibition 
Architecture News

MVRDV’s SOMBRA Pavilion Showcases Dynamic Shading at Venice Time Space Existence Exhibition 

As the 2025 edition of the Time Space Existence exhibition opens in...

Subscribe to all newsletters

Join our community to receive the latest insights and updates!

© 2025 ParametricArchitecture. All Rights Reserved. By utilizing this website, you are consenting to our User Agreement, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Statement. In compliance with the privacy laws of Turkey and the United States, we recognize and respect your rights. Please be aware that we may receive commissions for products bought through our affiliate links. Unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or transmission of any material from this site is strictly forbidden without prior written permission from ParametricArchitecture.

ad blocker mark

AdBlocker Detected!

Help Us Keep Our Content Free

Your support helps us continue delivering high-quality resources at no cost to you.

We’ve detected that you are using an AdBlocker. We completely understand the need for a clean browsing experience, but ads help us keep this platform running and continue providing you with high-quality content at no cost.

If you enjoy our content, please consider disabling your AdBlocker or adding our site to your whitelist. Your support allows us to create more valuable articles, tutorials, and resources for you.

Thank you for being a part of our community!