Saudi Arabia to host energy leaders and sportsmen from all over the world

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is set to host energy leaders from all over the world after the organizational committee of the World Petroleum Congress named Riyadh as the venue for the 25th edition of the event. The event, which is held every three years, will bring together representatives from governments, other sectors, non-governmental organisations and international institutions to the kingdom’s capital, Oil and Gas Middle East writes.

WPC Director General Dr Pierce Riemer congratulated the Saudi Arabia for being selected to host the 25th edition of the congress in Riyadh, for its being the biggest oil-exporting country in the world and owning the one of the world’s biggest oil reserves, which highlights the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s importance globally and worthiness to host one of the most important meetings of energy in the world. Riemer expressed aspiration to work with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to organize a successful congress in 2026.

The World Petroleum Congress, along with its accompanying exhibition, is considered a prominent global event that brings together countries and international organizations every three years to enhance cooperation in energy fields and provide solutions to main challenges facing the development of this vital sector, where the congress and exhibition receive much attention from specialists and visitors.

The 24th edition of the event is scheduled to be held in Calgary, Canada between September 17 and 21, 2023.

Moreover, Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday it had been chosen to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games at a planned mountain resort in the kingdom's $500bn Neom project.

Saudi Arabia will be the first country in the Middle East to host the games, which first took place in Japan in 1986.

Neom's yet-to-be-built Trojena sports city was the only candidate for the 2029 Asian Winter Games, which have not been held since 2017. The resort is expected to be completed in 2026 and will offer outdoor skiing, a man-made freshwater lake and a nature reserve, according to the project's website.

"With the unlimited support by the Saudi leadership & HRH Crown Prince (Mohammed Bin Salman) to the sport sector we are proud to announce we have won the bid to host AWG TROJENA2029 as the first country in west Asia," Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al Faisal said.

Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al Faisal, President of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SAOC) and vice-president of the OCA, chaired the group which presented its proposals to the Executive Board yesterday. He was joined by Neom's chief executive Nadhmi Al-Nasr and managing director Jan Paterson. Prince Abdulaziz claimed that the sustainability ambitions of the project have "led the way" in the realm of sport. He outlined plans for 47 medal events for men and women, and said that the initiative is fully backed by the SAOC, the Paralympic Committee of Saudi Arabia and the Saudi Government.

Al-Nasr explained the strategic importance of the proposed location in the north-west of Saudi Arabia and the importance of renewable energy, while Patterson vowed that the facilities would be available to Asian National Olympic Committees (NOCs) throughout the year for training purposes. Paterson added that artificial snow would be used as part of the project in addition to the natural snow, with "up to 70 per cent" of that used provided by snow melt. 

"Trojena and Neom are already changing global perspectives, just think how much more would be possibly hosting your Asian Winter Games," Prince Abdulaziz concluded in his remarks to delegates.

After Trojena was confirmed as the host for the 2029 Asian Winter Games, Prince Abdulaziz declared the award a step forward for Saudi Arabia. "This is a great victory for the Saudi nation and Gulf countries people due to the generous support offered to the Saudi sports sector that significantly contributes to the progress of sport and all other fields in the Kingdom to deliver the objectives of the Saudi 2030 vision," he said.

"This achievement also shed light on the enormous potential and the outstanding infrastructure of Saudi Arabia to host and organise international-level sports competitions and Games successfully." Al-Nasr added: "Trojena will have a suitable infrastructure to create the winter atmosphere in the heart of the desert, to make the Winter Games edition in Trojena an unprecedented global event."

Sport has formed a key part of bin Salman's attempts to promote Saudi Arabia on a global stage. The country had already been awarded next year's World Combat Games, the 2025 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games and the 2034 Asian Games, and hosted numerous professional boxing fights and a Formula One Grand Prix. Water sports events at the Riyadh 2034 Asian Games are also due to be held in Neom. A Saudi-led bid including Egypt and Greece for the 2030 FIFA World Cup has been mooted.