🔗 Share this article

Put aside thin ice. Currently, there’s no ice.

As NHL players preparing to return to the Olympic Games for the initial occasion in more than a decade, building work on the primary hockey arena for the Milano Cortina Games is cutting it close.

Officials confirmed on Wednesday that the primary trial competition for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia facility that was scheduled for December has been moved to a smaller venue – and that no additional trial has been scheduled yet.

The issue raises the prospect that there might not be a match held in the main arena until the puck is dropped for the women's initial games at the Olympics on 5 February – 24 hours before the opening ceremony.

“The timeline will be very close to the start of the games, the schedule is highly compressed. However, we were aware,” Milano Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier said recently.

The competition that was supposed to evaluate the Santagiulia playing surface was a segment of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been transferred to the Rho Fiera hockey location, which is being set up inside a massive convention center on Milan’s outskirts and will host secondary matches during the Olympics.

Typically, freshly built Olympic facilities are tested at least the prior year to hosting podium competitions. And with a large hockey arena, it’s not just about the playing surface and ensuring that the rink is ready and secure. It’s additionally about testing concession stands, restrooms and everything else inside a brand-new modern arena.

The Santagiulia venue, which is being constructed by a commercial firm, is slated to become the nation's largest covered stadium. Following the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a potential upcoming venue of the ATP Finals tennis tournament.

In spite of the delays and concerns, high-priced passes are already being purchased for events at the Santagiulia arena. Seats for the men’s gold medal game on 22 February – the closing day of the games – are going for as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). That’s more than for any other athletic competition at the Milano Cortina Games. Solely tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies are priced higher.

The comeback of NHL players at the Olympics was announced in February of last year, with the premier hockey league permitting its players to compete in the Winter Olympics for the first time since 2014 in Sochi.

The men’s Olympic hockey competition is scheduled to run from 11-22 February. The women’s event runs from 5-19 February.