Saudi Arabia and the Olympic Council of Asia have begun approaching other countries to potentially take over the 2029 Asian Winter Games as the ski resort designated to host the tournament in the Middle Eastern nation grapples with construction challenges.

Representatives from Riyadh have held informal discussions with those in China on the subject, according to people familiar with the matter, who declined to be identified discussing confidential information. Meanwhile, the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee has been contacted by the OCA about possibly hosting the tournament, an official from the KSOC said in an emailed statement to Bloomberg.

The event is seen as a key marker for Saudi Arabia’s global ambitions and the kingdom could eventually simply choose to scale back plans for the planned ski resort — called Trojena — in order to meet deadlines, people familiar with the matter said. So far, the kingdom has publicly said that construction within Trojena is continuing according to a phased plan.

Still, concerns over missed deadlines on some aspects of the ski resort prompted early-stage discussions in Riyadh over an alternate venue earlier this year, some of the people said. Trojena is part of the planned Saudi mega city of Neom, which has faced a string of challenges in recent years.

Trojena is estimated by business intelligence platform MEED to be a $19 billion undertaking. Saudi Arabia has already spent tens of billions constructing giga projects but now faces lower oil prices and budget deficits.

As part of plans under consideration, Saudi Arabia could ask China to host the event in four years, with the kingdom taking on the 2033 iteration, according to some of the people. China is willing to support the Gulf nation as needed but is trying to formally confirm whether Saudi Arabia wants to give up the upcoming games, according to one of the people.

“Neom and the Local Organizing Committee are working in close coordination with the Olympic Council of Asia and the Saudi Olympic & Paralympic Committee,” a spokesperson for Neom said, directing further questions to the OCA, which didn’t respond to requests for comment.

The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee has informed its government and no decision has been made, the official for the agency said. It’s unclear whether the OCA has also reached out to China and the eventual outcome remains unclear.

China would leave the ultimate decision to the OCA, the organizer, one person familiar with the matter said. “China supports Saudi Arabia in hosting this edition of the Asian Winter Games. We are not aware of the development you mentioned,” the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

The last Asian Winter Games were held in Harbin, China, in February this year. Harbin is called Ice City for its abundance of snow and winter temperatures of almost -15 degrees Celsius, hard to match in a desert nation.

For its part, the OCA is aware of the risk of some delays at Trojena, but it remains too early to decide and the organization could make a call only next year, a person familiar with the matter said earlier this month.

The deliberations show the dilemma Saudi Arabia faces at Neom, which was announced in 2017 and seen as one of the world’s largest planned constructions. It’s now estimated to cost as much as $1.5 trillion — triple its initial price tag. Other parts of Neom including a pair of skyscrapers called The Line and the Sindalah luxury island have also faced setbacks.

Where Neom Funding Has Gone

Contract awards since 2019 for projects related to Neom’s five major regions

Trojena is being built in a desert with little natural snowfall and Saudi Arabia has faced a series of challenges including pumping enough water up a mountain, creating a lake in the mountains and producing sufficient artificial snow. Adding to the pressure on the kingdom, international games often require infrastructure to be ready well in advance.

Over the years, Trojena has been highlighted as an engineering and architectural marvel. A June 2023 Neom press release on plans for the region featured an image of a huge lake between mountain tops.

Saudi officials and Neom have given no indication whether the ski resort is falling behind or at risk of missing deadlines. To be sure, host nations often race against the clock to prepare for global sporting events.

Ahead of the 2016 Olympics, Rio scrambled to complete venues, hotels and housing. The 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi were plagued by construction delays and sub-par facilities. More recently, a nonprofit warned that US travel infrastructure is unprepared for a slew of mega events it is hosting.

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Still, Saudi Arabia’s ability to pull off the winter tournament is being closely watched because it’s pledged to host a string of international events at such developments, including the 2034 men’s football World Cup.

The Asian Winter Games are also influential, usually featuring Olympic-level athletes from China, Japan, South Korea, India and other nations. Previous tournaments attracted tens of thousands of fans for events including ice hockey, speed skating and snowboarding, in addition to skiing.