Overview

• Financial Times reporting says Saudi officials discussed shifting the Games to South Korea or China, though both governments publicly denied any talks.
• Key engineering work at Trojena’s centerpiece “Vault” is moving slowly, with sources citing the need for 3,000 rock-anchoring cables and an installation pace of roughly one per day.
• Trojena’s artificial snow plan hinges on desalinated water pumped about 200 km from the Gulf of Aqaba, yet the main plant and the lake-filling have not started and tankers are supplying drinking water.
• Neom says development is progressing under a phased plan, while former project staff describe contingency options to hold the event even if all components are unfinished, with the Olympic Council of Asia holding final say on hosting.
• Broader pressures include scaled-back Neom targets and cost concerns, alongside persistent human-rights criticism over alleged forced displacement of the Howeitat tribe and the 2020 killing of activist Abdul-Rahim al-Howeiti.