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Forget about poor conditions. Currently, the surface isn't ready.

With NHL athletes gearing up to return to the Olympic Games for the initial occasion in more than a ten years, construction on the main hockey arena for the Milano Cortina Games is going down to the wire.

Officials announced on Wednesday that the primary trial competition for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia arena that was scheduled for December has been relocated to a more compact venue – and that no additional trial has been scheduled yet.

The issue raises the prospect that there might not be a game held in the primary venue until the puck is dropped for the women's initial games at the Olympics on 5 February – one day before the inaugural event.

“The timeline will be very close to the start of the games, the timeline is very tight. But we knew that,” Milano Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier stated recently.

The competition that was supposed to test the Santagiulia ice was a segment of the under-20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been moved to the Rho Fair hockey location, which is being set up inside a massive convention center on the outskirts of Milan and will stage lesser games during the games.

Usually, freshly built Olympic facilities are tested at least the prior year to holding podium competitions. And with a sizable hockey arena, it’s not only about the playing surface and making sure that the rink is prepared and secure. It’s also about testing food outlets, bathrooms and all other amenities inside a newly constructed contemporary stadium.

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

In spite of the postponements and concerns, high-priced passes are already being sold for events at the Santagiulia arena. Seats for the men’s gold medal game on 22 February – the final day of the games – are going for as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). This exceeds for any other athletic competition at the Milan-Cortina Games. Only tickets for the inaugural and final events are priced higher.

The return of NHL players at the Olympics was revealed in February of last year, with the premier hockey league permitting its players to compete in the Winter Games for the initial occasion since 2014 in Sochi.

The men’s Olympic hockey competition is scheduled to take place from 11-22 February. Women's tournament runs from 5-19 February.