The ambition is pharaonic. Saudi Arabia announced in 2022 the construction of a giant skiing station, located in the middle of the arid desert of the Middle East. Called Trojena, you must accommodate the Asian winter games in 2029, but doubts multiply in terms of the kingdom’s ability to maintain the deadlines.
It should be said that the Saudi prince has seen great things: the station offers facilities outside the standard with ski slopes in luxury hotels, a lake that hangs on a cliff and a glass skyscraper of the size of the Eiffel tower. The project was estimated at $ 19 billion for the Meed Economic Surveillance Platform, cited by Bloomberg.
According to several sources close to the archive interviewed by the Financial Times And for Bloomberg, Saudi Arabia may not be ready on time and internal discussions have been carried out to find other countries that can organize the event.
Towards a relocation to China or Korea?
Saudi officials have planned to communicate with South Korea or China to relocate the 2029 games and organize the next edition in the Kingdom four years later, according to three of these sources in the FT. For their part, China and South Korea have declared that they are not aware of these discussions.
Similarly, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Seoul said that any discussion had begun with the Saudi government over the 2029 games.
A snow -free ski season
The fear of substantial delays is linked to technical challenges, anything except anecdotal facing the project. Trojena is in a region where precipitation is rare, therefore, impossible to have natural snow. Saudi Arabia plans to send water to a large artificial lake and transform it into artificial snow. This water must pump during 200 kilometers from the Gulf of Aqaba, thus climbing 2.6 km of elevation. According to the FT, using a meter in driving diameter one meter as planned, and with a maximum speed, it would take the lake for two years.
In addition, the construction of the Desquection Project Factory has not yet begun, according to the Economic newspaper. Not to mention the difficulties linked to the construction of great altitude in this region with a complex relief. However, the work continues with advances in the construction of tunnels that will connect the mountain summit, as well as on the ski roof of the station, according to several people close to the archive and the publications on LinkedIn.
Neom, the excess project
Trojena is one of the five components of an equally extraordinary project launched by the Saudi Prince Mohammed Bin Salmane: the megalopolis neom established in the desert medium. Announced in 2017 as one of the largest construction projects in the world, its cost is now estimated at 1,500 billion dollars, triple the initial price.
Neom is expected to understand five projects, each more titanic than each other. The first, Sindalah, plans to build luxury artificial islands. The second, the line, must be a linear city delimited by two mirror walls 500 meters high and extending 170 km long. The third, Oxagon, has the ambition to become the largest floating port in the world. The fourth establishes the development of luxury hotels perched on the coast of Magna. Finally, Trojena, the skiing station, represents the most urgent project since the facilities must be ready for Asian winter games.
Fall in oil prices weakens financing
Except that the Saudi monarchy faces a cash problem. Its public deficit is expanding due to the fall in oil prices. Brent currently costs around $ 66 per barrel. However, according to Bloomberg calculations, Saudi Arabia would need a price of $ 111 to finance all the projects of the heir prince.
The Kingdom undertakes to organize a series of international events as part of these projects, including the Menicular Menicular World Cup in 2034. “It is up to them to find a balance between their desire to advance the projects and the extent that they can do so taking into account the important limitations,” explains Farouk Saussa, economist of the Middle East and Northwest in Goldman Group Inc. Inc. Inc. Inc. Inc. Inc. Inc. Inc. Inc. Inc. Inc. Inc. Inc.
And the budget cuts have already begun: the fund that Financia Financia only distributed $ 20 million in 2025, a significant fall compared to the peak of 12 billion in 2023. But Philip Gullett, executive director of Trojena, said in January in the World Economic Forum in Davos that the “absolute priority” should be ready for Asian winter winter games.
Source: BFM TV
