The Olympic Council of Asia has contacted the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee about the possibility of hosting the 2029 Asian Winter Games, which are currently due to take place in Saudi Arabia, a KSOC official told Reuters on Friday.
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.
The Financial Times and Bloomberg reported this week that Saudi Arabia was facing tight deadlines and could struggle to complete the planned mountain resort where the games are scheduled to be held.
The resort, called Trojena, is part of NEOM, an ambitious urban and industrial development nearly the size of Belgium.
Saudi Arabia, which is undergoing an ambitious economic diversification to reduce its reliance on oil revenues, is betting on sectors including tourism and sports, and is set to host several flagship events in the coming years such as the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
Some of the kingdom’s most ambitious projects have had to be downsized due to rising costs as the world’s top oil exporter faces mounting pressure to cut spending or raise debt amid persistently lower crude prices.
The Saudi government media office and the OCA were not immediately available for comment, while the Saudi Sports Ministry asked to redirect questions to the Saudi Olympic Committee.
“NEOM and the Local Organizing Committee are working in close coordination with the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the Saudi Olympic & Paralympic Committee. Any further questions on the Asian Winter Games should be directed to the OCA,” a NEOM spokesperson told Reuters when asked about delays to Trojena.
NEOM did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the KSOC official’s statement.
(Reporting by Ju-min Park in Seoul, additional reporting by Rachna Uppal and Maha El Dahan; Writing by Federico Maccioni; Editing by Alex Richardson)
