As the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics head into their final hours, Middle Eastern delegations are set to leave Italy without a single medal, highlighting both the region’s growing presence at the Games and the enduring dominance of traditional winter-sports powers.

The biggest reason Saudi Arabia cannot be taken lightly as a potential winter sports power is its financial might. Since the oil-rich country is still at least a couple years away from providing access to ski slopes within its borders, the Saudi government has spared no expense housing winter sports athletes in Europe for months at a time.