Saudi skiing on right track

Waving the Saudi Arabian flag at the opening ceremony of the Asian Winter Games in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, was not a new experience for Fayik Abdi. As the first Winter Olympian from Saudi Arabia, he had done it once before at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics three years ago.

"This time, it wasn't as cold, since the ceremony was held indoors," Abdi recalls.

The 27-year-old alpine skiing trailblazer competed in the men's slalom on Sunday, but did not finish. Still, he considers his first Winter Asiad and second visit to China to be a memorable experience. With Saudi Arabia set to host the next edition of the Asian Winter Games in 2029, Abdi is eager to return to the competition — and to do so on home snow.

Taking the bullet train from Yabuli to Harbin for the Games' opening ceremony, Abdi said this visit gave him a deeper understanding of China. When he first came for the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022, he didn't get the chance to wander around or interact more with Chinese people due to the strict pandemic prevention restrictions.

This time, after arriving in Beijing, he had the chance to experience more of the local culture-including trying hotpot with friends in both cities.

"It was really nice. I'd never had that before," he said.

Abdi has trained at Yabuli Sports Training Base three times, and praised the venue. "The terrain is great — it offers a bit of everything. The snow is very aggressive, different from Europe, so it takes some time to adjust," he noted.

His stay in China was brief, as he departed for Austria after his competition finished to compete in the Alpine Skiing World Championships.

Looking ahead, Abdi hopes to see more international winter sports competitions in China, calling it a large and rapidly growing market for the sport. He looks forward to returning in the future.

Abdi's mother, an avid skier herself, was also his first coach. When he was 4, she began taking him to Lebanon's Faraya ski resort, where she introduced him to the sport. Those early trips sparked a lifelong passion for skiing.

"It's very technical and competitive and it's a lot of fun at the same time. It's a good mixture of a lot of different things."

Abdi said he is thrilled that Saudi Arabia will host the next Asian Winter Games and is committed to staying fit so he can participate on home snow.

"I look forward to representing my country at the 2029 Asian Winter Games, and hopefully, we'll see more Saudi athletes participating," he said. "We're working on that, and I believe we're on the right track to make it happen."

He sees the event as a historic milestone not just for Saudi Arabia, but for the entire West Asian region, potentially inspiring other countries to participate in the Games.

"It's a groundbreaking event," he said. "I expect a high level of competition and hope to see more alpine skiing events, including slalom, giant slalom, and possibly super-G."

Abdi believes Saudi Arabia needs indoor skiing facilities in its cities to make the sport more accessible and encourage greater participation.