The Olympic Council of Asia has announced that the 10th Asian Winter Games in 2029 will be staged in Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan, which replaces the planned city of NEOM in Saudi Arabia as the host of the event.
It comes just weeks after the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the OCA had confirmed that Saudi Arabia would no longer host the pan-Asian winter multisport event and that the hosting announcement had been postponed. They added that the Games would be held “at a later date to be announced in due course.”
However, the Games are now set to go ahead in 2029 as previously scheduled after the OCA held a signing ceremony of the host city contract in Milan, Italy, last week.
The signing ceremony was attended by His Excellency Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, president of the OCA, along with members of the International Olympic Committee, presidents and representatives of international and continental federations, senior officials, and representatives of National Olympic Committees. The host city contract was signed between the OCA and the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as part of the completion of the institutional procedures approved for hosting the continental event.
In a speech, Al Thani said that the signing of the host city contract underscored the OCA’s commitment to advancing winter sports across Asia, and that the Games would serve as an important platform for strengthening cooperation and solidarity among NOCs.
Saudi Arabia’s Hosting Uncertainty
The 2029 Asian Winter Games were due to be held at mountain tourism destination Trojena in NEOM, Saudi Arabia, a city still under construction in the Northwestern Tabuk Province of the Kingdom. The Kingdom was awarded the rights to host the event in 2022, with previous host countries including China, Japan and South Korea. Kazakhstan also hosted the Games in 2011, with events being held in Almaty as well as Astana.
Although neither the SOPC nor the OCA gave an official reason for the delay to the 2029 Asian Winter Games host city announcement, a report from Reuters suggested that the OCA had contacted officials in South Korea and China about taking over as potential replacement hosts. Meanwhile, a story in Singapore-based publication The Strait Times suggested that the construction of the ski resort project in Trojena had been delayed, despite being planned for completion this year.
Copyright © 2026 by Northstar Travel Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. 301 Route 17 N, Suite 1150, Rutherford, NJ 07070 USA | Telephone: (201) 902-2000