For the first time, Saudi Arabia will send athletes to participate in the Beijing Winter Olympics the training of the new 40,000 square meters of snow field

According to global network news, Prince Abdul Aziz, the Saudi Minister of Sport and president of the Saudi Olympic Committee, sent his blessings to the Beijing Winter Olympics during his meeting with Our Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Chen Weiqing, and announced that Saudi Arabia will send athletes to participate in the Winter Olympics, which will be the first time that Saudi athletes will participate in the Winter Olympics.

According to the official website of the International Olympic Committee, Saudi Arabia released a recruitment plan at the beginning of the year, as of now, a total of 8 Saudi male athletes have been selected for the Saudi Winter Olympics training camp, although each member has some winter sports experience, but they are part-time athletes, the time to contact winter sports is relatively late, some people have only participated in school-level competitions, and some people have only been exposed to skiing when they go abroad on vacation.

Among them, skier Kurdy was once a consultant to McKinsey, and after the Saudi Ministry of Sports unveiled the Winter Olympic recruitment plan, he was selected to apply for the big list. He had previously been exposed to skiing while studying abroad at the University of California, and he was doing business in Amsterdam at the beginning of the year, and after receiving a link from a friend, he decided to join the national team.

Another 32-year-old, Rashid, studied at the Saudi Military Academy and joined the Royal Guard after graduation. He learned to ski during his vacation in Europe and has since been learning to ski for a few weeks each year with his personal trainer. However, he broke his collarbone during a training session in September and was unable to travel to Beijing, but he vowed to prepare for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Allowing Saudi Arabian athletes to participate in the Winter Olympics for the first time is part of Saudi Crown Prince Bin Salman's exploration of the sports industry and improving the health of his fellow citizens. Saudi Arabia brought in professional coaches from Europe and North America and invested heavily in training.

In addition to the royal family's support, the Saudi Ministry of Sport has also issued invitations to private companies to support athlete training while expanding participation in snow sports.

According to the Wall Street Journal, a private developer began this year to build the region's largest ski resort in the Riyadh shopping mall, covering an area of 40,000 square meters, which will serve as a ski base in Saudi Arabia where athletes will prepare for the game.

There are also 2 cross-country skiers and 2 alpine downhill skaters in the Saudi national team, who both see making history on behalf of Saudi Arabia as an opportunity that cannot be turned away, and since Saudi Arabia does not have snowy mountains, they are now training in Europe.