Tommy Martin: Skiing in the desert? Nothing about sport is ridiculous any more

Still, even by the standards of the contemporary news cycle, staging an event typically predicated on the weather being quite chilly in one of the world’s most notably toasty nations should raise an eyebrow.

A solitary climber ascends a sand dune in the Bajdah desert, NEOM. Will this soon be a ski slope? Pic: neom.com

What could sum up modern life’s permanent state of discombobulation better than the news that the 2029 Asian Winter Games will be held in Saudi Arabia?

Skiing in the desert? Why not? The acceptance that things that should not happen can happen is the only way to cope these days, whether processing the slow collapse of the global financial order or simply watching Erling Haaland play football.