While Europe is thinking about the future of winter sports in view of the weather conditions, Saudi Arabia is also pushing ahead with its sports offensive with competitions in the snow. The “SnowBlast KSA Cup” in Riyadh provided a foretaste of the Asian Winter Games, which will take place on the Arabian Peninsula in 2029.
At the first freestyle event on the Arabian Peninsula there were “polar bears” dancing on the edge of the desert, 500 tons of snow carted in and big prize money for the stars: At the “SnowBlast KSA Cup” in Riyadh there were a lot of scene big names at the start, who were… a 150 meter long, 30 meter high and 20 meter wide jump fell.
“When I first heard about it, I knew I had to be a part of it“, said the American Tanner Hall, who shaped his sport as “Ski Boss” like no other: “We try to pass on our culture to people who have probably never heard of it. It’s really exciting for us, like a breath of fresh air.”
Strange – only 45 minutes to the desert
The event took place as part of the “Riyadh Season”, a month-long festival with a variety of entertainment that millions of people attend. There were bonuses of up to $50,000 for the stars, including Olympic and X Games winners, and helpers dressed as polar bears danced in the floodlights at the foot of the ski jump. “It’s definitely strange” said participant Xavi Jesi, “after all, we are only 45 minutes from the desert.”
Saudi Arabia hosts Asian Winter Games
In the north of the country, he said, there were even mountains and probably also snow, “so it’s certainly better than here where it’s so hot and we have to use so much energy“. He added that he hopes that the event can take place there next time. In fact, Saudi Arabia will host the Asian Winter Games in 2029. By 2026, a futuristic ski resort is to be built in the test-tube city of Trojena. “Polar bears” certainly included.