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Forget about thin ice. For now, there’s no ice.

With NHL players preparing to make a comeback to the Olympics for the initial occasion in more than a ten years, construction on the main hockey venue for the Milano Cortina Games is going down to the wire.

Officials announced on Wednesday that the main trial competition for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia facility that was scheduled for December has been relocated to a smaller arena – and that no new test event has been scheduled yet.

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

“The timeline will be very close to the start of the games, the schedule is very tight. However, we were aware,” Milan-Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier stated in a recent update.

The competition that was intended to evaluate the Santagiulia playing surface was a segment of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. This tournament has been moved to the Rho Fair hockey location, which is being set up inside a massive convention center on Milan’s outskirts and will host lesser games during the Olympics.

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

The Santagiulia venue, which is being constructed by a private company, is scheduled to become the nation'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 delays and concerns, expensive tickets are already being purchased for matches at the Santagiulia venue. Seats for the men’s gold medal game on 22 February – the closing day of the games – are going for as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). That’s more than for any other athletic competition at the Milano Cortina Games. Only tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies cost more.

The return of NHL players at the Olympics was revealed last February, with the premier hockey organization allowing its athletes to participate in the Winter Games for the initial occasion since 2014 in Sochi.

Men's Olympic hockey competition is set to run from 11-22 February. The women’s tournament runs from 5-19 February.