From the desert to the snowy mountains! Abdi's small step to make the ice and snow no longer so "desert"

The scorching desert, the cold ice and snow, ice and fire merge into one at this moment.

It's one person's Winter Olympics, but the pride of the whole country, 24-year-old alpine skier Faik. Abdi, the first athlete in Saudi Arabia's history to participate in the Winter Olympics, is also the first time that a Saudi athlete has qualified for the Winter Olympics, which is also the first time in Saudi Arabia's history to send a delegation to participate in the Winter Olympics. From the desert to the snow-capped mountains, Abdi's small step has taken the country of Saudi Arabia a historic big step.

Abdi said: "As the first Saudi to participate in the Winter Olympics, I am very honored, and I am the only Saudi athlete participating in this time, I hope that my participation can open a new door for more people in the whole region, and I can participate more in the Winter Olympics in the future." "Saudi Arabia sent athletes to participate in the Winter Olympics, which is also the first time in the GCC countries.

Saudi Arabia, which has been dry and hot all year round and sees no snow and ice, can finally appear in the Winter Olympics, which has caused a sensation throughout the Middle East. Of course, this is closely related to Saudi Crown Prince Bin Salman's support for the ice and snow industry and the Beijing Winter Olympics, reflecting Saudi Arabia's vision 2030 ambitions.

In order to show the great importance it attaches to the Beijing Winter Olympics, Saudi Arabia set up a Special Saudi Winter Olympics Training Camp at the beginning of last year, and a total of 8 Saudi male athletes were selected, mainly alpine skiers and cross-country skiers. Due to the high temperature and dryness of Saudi Arabia all year round, there is no ice and snow factor at all, there is no professional ski resort, the athletes are inexperienced, and they are also part-time.

Therefore, Saudi Arabia spent a lot of money to invite professional coaches from Europe and North America, and specially organized training camps in the Swiss Alps, with the purpose of striving to make athletes meet the conditions and qualifications stipulated by the International Snow Federation and successfully obtain the quota of the Beijing Winter Olympics. After a series of competitions, Saudi alpine skiers Salman Huwesh and Faik. Abdi qualified for the Beijing Winter Olympics, and the two were sent abroad for final pre-tournament training. "Saudi Arabia is sending athletes to the Winter Olympics for the first time, and we are proud of it." Saudi Arabia's Sports Minister and Olympic Committee President Abdul Aziz said so. In addition to the athletes, Saudi Arabia also sent a nine-member sports delegation to Beijing for the Winter Olympics.

Due to the elderly King Salman of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Salman Jr. has carried out modernization reforms in various aspects, and sports is also one of them. Little Salman invested Saudi Arabia's existing funds in the real economy, pursued economic diversification, and gradually got rid of dependence on oil, proposing the "Vision 2030" for this purpose.

Little Salman pursues the "look east" strategy, constantly strengthens ties with China, and has a very obvious strategic intention to close and upgrade relations between the two countries with China, which is a pragmatic choice made by Saudi Arabia according to reality. Saudi Arabia sees the reality of China's economic development and increasing national strength, attaches more and more importance to China, and actively integrates into China's "Belt and Road" strategy.

Little Salman is passionate about culture, sports and entertainment, and investing in the cultural and sports industry has become one of his main starting points for promoting the transformation of the Saudi economy. In 2016, Saudi Arabia's first indoor artificial ski resort "Syracuse" opened in the capital Riyadh, which made many people who had never seen snow extremely excited. It took four years to build the "Snow City", covering an area of more than 5,000 square meters and with many ski trails. Now, Saudi Arabia also has an indoor ski resort with an area of about 40,000 square meters under construction, which is scheduled to open this year. There are also large indoor ski resorts in the United Arab Emirates, Oman and other countries in the Gulf region. It can be seen that the participation of Saudi athletes in the Beijing Winter Olympics will undoubtedly stimulate the interest of the people in the region to participate in ice and snow sports and promote the development of the ice and snow industry in the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia began to invest in the construction of the Mahed Sports Academy in 2020, providing more than 20 sports disciplines for Saudi teenagers aged 6 to 14 to cultivate Saudi arabia's outstanding athletes. The development of women's football is also one of the initiatives of Little Salman's sports career, and from 2018, Saudi Arabia has allowed women to enter the sports field for the first time to participate in sports activities. Not long ago, Saudi Arabia's first national women's football league came to a successful end, providing a stage for Saudi girls to dream, and Salman Jr. aims to make Saudi women enter the Women's World Cup.

Little Salman is to promote sports to become an important industry in Saudi Arabia in an all-round way and promote the transformation of the country's economic structure. In 2019, Saudi Arabia built a comprehensive entertainment city in Gidia, 45 kilometers from Riyadh, which is positioned as the "capital of culture, sports, entertainment and art" in Saudi Arabia. Gidiya Comprehensive Entertainment City includes amusement parks, water sports, indoor skiing, outdoor adventures, outdoor racing and other facilities, attracting a large number of domestic and foreign tourists to spend in the future, thereby stimulating the economy and diversifying the economic industry.

Abdi's leap in the men's giant slalom event in alpine skiing at the Beijing Winter Olympics on February 13, 2022, made Saudi Arabia, a desert country, truly enter the big stage of the Winter Olympics, and the "Snow Flying Swallow" National Alpine Ski Center and the Beijing Winter Olympics recorded this history.