Saudi Arabian athletes have set high ambitions for their debut at the ongoing Asian Winter Games in northeast China, hoping to win a gold medal before the continental sports event moves to their home country in 2029.
The 9th edition of the Games kicked off on Feb 7 in Harbin, known as China's "Ice City", and runs until Feb 14. The grand event has gathered 1,275 competitors from 34 countries and regions, making it the largest ever edition of the Games in terms of overall participation.
Team Saudi Arabia is taking part in the Games for the first time and has a team of seven athletes in Harbin competing in skiing and curling. The host city's chilly temperatures are a rare experience for the athletes from the West Asian desert country.
"It really feels great to come to your country, also for the first time," said Suleiman Alaqel, one of the Saudi curling athletes.
"Actually I like cold, but here's really, really cold. Also, I like it," said Mohammed Aldaraan, another curling athlete.
Saudi Arabia will host the 10th Asian Winter Games in the mountains of Trojena, a planned resort destination for alpine and adventure sports as part of the Red Sea megacity NEOM. Knowing they will be the next host of the Games has made the team eager to prove what they are capable of at this year's event.
"Gold, that's my goal. Either today or in four years when it comes to Trojena, we're going to get the gold," said curling athlete Hussein Hagawi.
The Saudi athletes offered sincere words of welcome to competitors and sports fans who are already looking forward to the next Winter Asian Games.
"Trojena is ready to welcome all the sports individuals and anyone to come there," Aldaraan said.
"We'll be ready for you guys. Welcome to Saudi Arabia next time after Harbin," said Hagawi.
While intensely preparing for the competitions, the Saudi Arabian delegation had the opportunity to explore the ice and snow recreation events at Harbin's iconic Snowman Wharf. There, they enjoyed an unforgettable experience as they boarded an ice raft and were pulled along by a vehicle at thrilling speeds.
"It's so cold. It's a very good experience for us," said Fahad Alrubaysh, assistant manager of Team Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabian athletes eye gold, embrace icy fun during Winter Asian Games debut
The 2026 Wuhan Open concluded on Sunday with Poland's Maja Chwalinska crowned a new WTA 1000 champion, drawing 200,000 spectators and generating an estimated 890 million yuan (about 133 million U.S. dollars) in economic benefits.
The final featured Chwalinska, the No. 16 seed, coming from a set down to defeat Britain's Sonay Kartal 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 and claiming her first WTA 1000 title.
As the final WTA 1000 tournament of the year, the nine-day Wuhan Open offered a record total prize of 4.08 million U.S. dollars and staged over 100 world-class matches throughout nine days, attracting tennis fans from around the country.
"Our ticket sales this year are quite good, up about 30 percent year on year. We also found that more spectators came here to watch Wuhan Open from other cities. Last year, about 40 percent of the spectators were from other cities. This year, the figure is between 50 percent and 60 percent," said Wang Qing, president of the Wuhan International Sports Event Management Company.
Outside the arena, a Wuhan Open carnival that covered an area of 10,000 square meters also drew large crowds, with more than 100 booths offering sports and trendy products, food and other activities. The site also served as an offline coupon collection and redemption point, allowing visitors to claim coupons and spend them on the spot.
"I just got a 10-yuan coupon, which can be used for sports goods. We are going to buy some tennis merchandise," said Ms. Li, a tourist from Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province.
Ticket stubs from the tennis games can also act as coupons, allowing holders to enjoy discounts on food, retail and parking in various business districts around the city.
The provincial authorities issued 20 million yuan in sports consumption coupons. For each ticket stub, spectators could receive a 300-yuan voucher package for fitness activities and sports equipment.
"I bought a Wuhan Open ticket. Holding the stub, I can get an 80-yuan coupon, which makes it a good deal to play tennis here," said Mr. Xie, a local resident.
Hubei has launched premium tourism routes to integrate scenic spots, hotels and catering resources and leverage the spectator influx, along which ticket-stub holders could enjoy discounts in scenic areas across the province.
The event is estimated to generate a total economic benefit of 890 million yuan, which is 26.24 percent higher than last year's edition.
Wuhan Open turns tennis fever into consumption boom
