PHNOM PENH : The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) selected Saudi Arabia’s bid on Tuesday to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games in Trojena, NEOM.

The OCA said in an official statement released after its general assembly here that the Saudi’s bid was “unanimously approved”, making NEOM the first city in West Asia to host the Asian Winter Games which will include competitions for skiing, snowboarding, ice hockey and figure skating – 47 events in all, 28 on snow and 10 on ice.

Trojena, will offer a year-round skiing, a manmade freshwater lake, chalets, mansions and ultra-luxury hotels, and is an area of NEOM “where winter temperatures drop below zero celsius and year-round temperatures are generally 10 degrees cooler than the rest”, according to the NEOM’s website.

“The deserts and mountains of Saudi Arabia will soon be a playground for winter sports,” the OCA added in its official statement.