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Saudi Arabia has just organized a freestyle skiing event that is controversial on an ecological and humanitarian level.
Not even Hergé, the father of Tintin, saw this coming. Hergé was a visionary in more ways than one. His lunar adventure foreshadowed the Apollo 11 mission, almost fifteen years before Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon. In his album, “Tintin in the Land of Black Gold,” he anticipates oil crises and threats of war in the Middle East, all set against a backdrop of scorching heat. But to imagine snow-capped Arabia is a step Hergé didn’t dare take.
Nevertheless, the city of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia has just hosted its very first ski competition, from February 26 to 29, with the participation of international artists, under the name of “SnowBlast KSA Cup.”
Are temperatures hovering around 25–26 °C these days in Riyadh? No problem. The 150-meter-long, 30-meter-high, and 20-meter-wide track required some 500 tons of snow. The event took place right in the center of the Saudi capital, at the King Arena, a 30,000-seat stadium with a retractable roof.
As a reminder, Saudi Arabia has embarked on the construction of its very first ski resort, in the Trojena mountains, as part of the $500 billion Neom development project, which will host the Asian Winter Games in 2029, despite climatic conditions far from the norm.
For Hong Kong-based media outlet BNN Breaking, the event “marks an important milestone for Riyadh, demonstrating […] its ambition to become a global sports destination.” While BNN sees positive signs, not everyone does.
Rain of Criticism
Despite being just launched, this sporting event has already been decried. The event in the middle of the city, in temperatures of over 25 degrees Celsius, at a time of climate change, has been the subject of much talk and “indignation” in the world of skiing, particularly in France. It’s an ecological disaster,” lamented one manager to L’Équipe. It’s bad enough that the industry has to question itself and adapt to global warming on a daily basis. As usual, it’s business that wins.
Another point of contention: the competition organized in Riyadh is only open to men. New Schoolers, one of the leading freestyle ski media, believes that athletes taking part in the event are becoming “accomplices or supporters of a regime that still has the death penalty for homosexuality, drug use, etc.”
Money Doesn’t Fear the Heat
Ignoring the criticism from all quarters, the organizers attracted stars such as American legend Tanner Hall, Sweden’s Henrik Harlaut (14 X Games medals, 3rd at the 2022 Olympics, and runner-up at the 2019 World Championships), and Colby Stevenson (runner-up at the 2022 Olympics) to the show. A number of French riders, including Antoine Adelisse, Alexis Ghisleni, Enzo Valax, and Kaditane Gomis, have also made the trip to Riyadh.
Although the competition is not recognized by the FIS, the organizers cover travel expenses, pay each athlete $2,000, and offer a bonus of $100,000 for the winner, $50,000 for second place, and $20,000 for third place. This is almost double what is paid to the winner of the X Games, the leading extreme sports competition.
All of which is a welcome boost at a time when freestyle athletes receive far too little support from their federations.
Polemic or not, the organizers have succeeded in their gamble and are already looking ahead to other events.
As the years go by, Saudi Arabia is becoming an increasingly important part of the global sporting landscape.
