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

With NHL players gearing up to make a comeback to the Olympic Games for the first time in over a ten years, building work on the main hockey arena for the Milano 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 moved to a more compact venue – and that no new test event has been arranged yet.

This situation raises the prospect that there may not be a game held in the main arena until the puck is dropped for the women's initial games at the Olympics on 5 February – one day before the opening ceremony.

“It’s going to be very close to the start of the games, the schedule is very tight. But we knew that,” Milan-Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier stated recently.

The competition that was intended to test the Santagiulia ice was a segment of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. This tournament has been transferred to the Rho Fair hockey location, which is being established inside a giant convention center on Milan’s outskirts and will host secondary matches during the games.

Usually, new Olympic venues are tested at least the year before to hosting podium competitions. And with a sizable hockey venue, it’s not only about the ice and ensuring that the playing surface is ready and safe. It’s additionally about testing food outlets, restrooms and all other amenities inside a newly constructed contemporary stadium.

This new facility, which is being constructed by a private company, is scheduled to become the nation's biggest indoor arena. Following the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a potential future host of the ATP Tour Finals tennis event.

Despite the delays and worries, high-priced passes are already being sold for matches at the Santagiulia venue. Seats for the men's championship final on 22 February – the final day of the games – are priced at as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). That’s more than for any other athletic competition at the Milano Cortina Games. Solely passes for the opening and closing ceremonies are priced higher.

The return of NHL stars at the Olympics was announced in February of last year, with the premier hockey league allowing its players to participate in the Winter Olympics for the first time 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.