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

As NHL athletes gearing up to return to the Olympics for the first time in over a ten years, construction on the main hockey arena for the Milan-Cortina Games is cutting it close.

Local organizers confirmed on Wednesday that the main test event for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia facility originally planned for December has been relocated to a smaller arena – and that no new test event has been scheduled yet.

The issue creates the possibility that there might not be a match held in the main arena until the competition begins for the women’s preliminary round at the Olympics on 5 February – one day before the opening ceremony.

“It’s going to be very close to the start of the Olympics, the schedule is very tight. However, we were aware,” Milan-Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier stated recently.

The event that was supposed to evaluate the Santagiulia ice was part of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. This tournament has been moved to the Rho Fair hockey location, which is being established inside a massive exhibition hall on the outskirts of Milan and will stage lesser games during the games.

Typically, freshly built Olympic facilities are trialled at least the prior year to hosting medal events. And with a sizable hockey arena, it’s not just about the ice and ensuring that the playing surface is ready and secure. It’s additionally about checking food outlets, bathrooms and everything else inside a newly constructed modern arena.

This new facility, which is being constructed by a commercial firm, is scheduled to become the nation's largest indoor arena. Following the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a potential upcoming venue of the ATP Finals tennis tournament.

In spite of the postponements 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 final day of the Olympics – are priced at as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). This exceeds the price of any other sports event at the Milano Cortina Games. Only tickets for the inaugural and final events cost more.

The comeback of NHL stars at the Olympics was announced last February, with the world’s top hockey league permitting its athletes to compete in the Winter Olympics for the first time since 2014 in Sochi.

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