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Forget about thin ice. Currently, the surface isn't ready.

As NHL athletes preparing to make a comeback to the Olympic Games for the first time in over a decade, construction on the primary hockey arena for the Milano Cortina Games is cutting it close.

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

This situation creates the possibility 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 – one day before the inaugural event.

“It’s going to be very close to the start of the Olympics, the schedule is very tight. However, we were aware,” Milan-Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier stated in a recent update.

The event that was intended to evaluate the Santagiulia playing surface was part of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. This tournament has been transferred to the Rho Fiera hockey location, which is being established inside a giant convention center on Milan’s outskirts and will host lesser games during the Olympics.

Usually, new Olympic venues are trialled at least the year before to holding medal events. And with a sizable hockey arena, it’s not only about the ice and making sure that the playing surface is prepared and secure. It’s additionally about checking food outlets, bathrooms and all other amenities inside a brand-new modern arena.

This new facility, which is being constructed by a commercial firm, is scheduled to become the nation's biggest covered stadium. Following the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a potential future host of the ATP Tour Finals tennis tournament.

Despite the postponements and concerns, expensive tickets 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 games – are priced at as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). This exceeds for any other athletic competition at the Milan-Cortina Games. Only tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies are priced higher.

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

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