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Top continental sports body gauging Korean interest in 2029 Asian Winter Games

Published: 22 Aug. 2025, 20:01

The Korean team celebrates after winning gold at the women's team sprint during the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China, on Feb. 9. [AP/YONHAP]

With Saudi Arabia reportedly falling behind on its preparations to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games, the continent's top sports body is gauging Korea's interest in becoming an alternate host, a source familiar with the matter said Friday.

The source told Yonhap News Agency that the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) had asked the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) President Ryu Seung-min if Korea would be willing to step in for Saudi Arabia.

The conversation took place late last month in Singapore at the World Aquatics Championships, where Ryu met with Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani, head of the Qatar Olympic Committee and sole candidate for the OCA presidency, and OCA Director-General Husain Al Musallam, who is also head of World Aquatics.

Following the meeting, the OCA also sent a letter to the KSOC.

Ryu told OCA officials that he would discuss the matter with the Korean government and shared the details of his meeting with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism after returning home, according to the source.

Neom, a planned city being built in Saudi Arabia, was selected to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games in October 2022. It will be the first winter multisport competition held in the Middle East. However, the Financial Times reported Thursday that the construction of a ski resort was facing engineering and logistic challenges, and the project will not be completed in time without a significant increase in the budget.

Saudi Arabia has yet to confirm that it will give up its rights to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games.

There have been nine editions of the Asian Winter Games, most recently in February in Harbin, China. They have taken place sporadically, rather than quadrennially like the summer version, because of difficulty in finding suitable hosts.

Japan has held four Asian Winter Games and China has had three, with one each by Korea in 1999 and Kazakhstan in 2011. After Kazakhstan, Sapporo hosted the next edition six years later, which was followed by an eight-year gap.

Korea already has winter sports facilities in place to hold an Asian Winter Games on short notice. It staged the Winter Youth Olympics in early 2024, using mostly the same venues built for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangwon.

Yonhap