PHNOM PENH, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia's future tourism resort of Trojena will host the 2029 Asian Winter Games, it was revealed during the 41st General Assembly of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) on Tuesday in Phnom Penh.
Trojena will be the first West Asian city to host the Asian Winter Games, which have not been held since 2017 as the OCA has struggled to find hosts.
Saudi Minister of Sport and President of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al-Faisal signed the host city contract along with OCA acting president Raja Randhir Singh, after delegates at the General Assembly unanimously approved the Saudi proposal, which was the only bid to host the tournament.
"This is a great victory for the Saudi nation and Gulf countries," Prince Abdulaziz said.
"We thank the Olympic Council of Asia for granting us this opportunity. Trojena will be a year-round destination for winter sports and it is fully funded and backed by government guarantees," he said. "It will highlight the enormous potential and great infrastructure of Saudi Arabia to host and organize international-level sport competitions and Games successfully."
"Growing up I never believed I would ski in my homeland," said Fayik Abdi, the first Saudi athlete to participate at the Winter Olympics, doing so at Beijing 2022. "Now I'm looking forward to the Asian Winter Games at home."
Nadhmi Al-Nasr, Chief Executive of Neom, said: "Trojena will have a suitable infrastructure to create the winter atmosphere in the heart of the desert, to make this Winter Games an unprecedented global event." ■
