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Put aside poor conditions. Currently, the surface isn't ready.

As NHL players gearing up to make a comeback to the Olympic Games for the initial occasion in over a ten years, building work on the primary hockey venue for the Milan-Cortina Games is cutting it close.

Officials confirmed on Wednesday that the primary test event for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia facility originally planned for December has been moved to a smaller arena – and that no additional trial has been arranged yet.

The issue raises the prospect that there may not be a match held in the primary venue until the competition begins for the women’s preliminary round at the Olympics on 5 February – 24 hours before the inaugural event.

“The timeline will be very close to the start of the games, the schedule is very tight. However, we were aware,” Milano Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier stated in a recent update.

The event that was intended to evaluate the Santagiulia ice was part of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been transferred to the Rho Fiera hockey venue, which is being set up inside a giant convention center on the outskirts of Milan and will stage secondary matches during the games.

Typically, freshly built Olympic facilities are tested at least the prior year to holding podium competitions. And with a large hockey arena, it’s not just about the ice and ensuring that the playing surface is ready and secure. It’s additionally about testing food outlets, bathrooms and all other amenities inside a brand-new contemporary arena.

This new facility, which is being built by a private company, is scheduled to become Italy’s biggest covered stadium. For after the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a potential upcoming venue of the ATP Tour Finals tennis tournament.

Despite the postponements and concerns, high-priced tickets are already being purchased for events at the Santagiulia venue. Tickets for the men's championship final on 22 February – the closing day of the games – are priced at as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). This exceeds the price of any other athletic competition at the Milan-Cortina Games. Solely tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies cost more.

The return of NHL players at the Olympics was revealed in February of last year, with the world’s top hockey organization allowing its players to participate in the Winter Olympics for the first time since 2014 in Sochi.

Men's Olympic hockey tournament is set to run from 11-22 February. Women's event occurs from 5-19 February.