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Put aside thin ice. For now, the surface isn't ready.

As NHL athletes gearing up to return to the Olympics for the first time in more than a ten years, construction on the main hockey venue for the Milan-Cortina Games is going down to the wire.

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

This situation raises the prospect that there may not be a game held in the main arena until the competition begins for the women's initial games at the Olympics on 5 February – 24 hours before the inaugural event.

“It’s going to be very close to the beginning of the games, the schedule is very tight. But we knew that,” Milano Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier stated in a recent update.

The event that was supposed to evaluate the Santagiulia playing surface was a segment of the under-20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been transferred to the Rho Fair hockey location, which is being established inside a massive convention center on the outskirts of Milan and will host secondary matches during the Olympics.

Typically, freshly built Olympic facilities are tested at least the year before to holding medal events. And with a sizable hockey venue, it’s not only about the playing surface and ensuring that the playing surface is prepared and safe. It’s also about checking concession stands, restrooms and everything else inside a brand-new contemporary arena.

The Santagiulia venue, which is being built by a private company, is slated to become the nation's biggest covered stadium. For after the Olympics, it’s being considered as a potential future host of the ATP Finals tennis event.

In spite of the postponements and worries, expensive passes are already being purchased for events at the Santagiulia venue. Tickets for the men’s gold medal final on 22 February – the final day of the Olympics – are priced at as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). This exceeds for any other athletic competition at the Milan-Cortina Games. Solely passes for the opening and closing ceremonies cost more.

The comeback of NHL players at the Olympics was revealed last February, with the premier hockey organization allowing its players to participate 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 tournament occurs from 5-19 February.