Saudi Arabia postpones 2029 Asian Winter Games at NEOM

Saudi Arabia's Olympic Committee and the Olympic Council of Asia agreed to postpone the 2029 Asian Winter Games, which the kingdom was to host at a showpiece mountain resort that forms part of its NEOM mega-project, a statement on Saturday said.



No new timetable was provided and neither organisation gave a reason for the delay in the joint statement.



The postponement marks a setback for the kingdom, which has committed to hosting several major events over the next decade. The winter games, together with the 2034 FIFA World Cup and the 2030-2031 Riyadh Expo, had provided clear deadlines for advancing vast mega-projects, central to the kingdom's goal of reducing reliance on hydrocarbon revenues.



NEOM, with a projected population of 9 million, and other projects have faced repeated delays.