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Forget about poor conditions. Currently, the surface isn't ready.

As NHL athletes preparing to make a comeback to the Olympics for the initial occasion in over a decade, building work on the main hockey arena for the Milan-Cortina Games is going down to the wire.

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

The issue creates the possibility that there may not be a match held in the main arena until the puck is dropped 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 beginning of the Olympics, the timeline is very tight. However, we were aware,” Milan-Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier stated recently.

The event that was intended to evaluate the Santagiulia playing surface was part of the under-20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been moved to the Rho Fiera hockey venue, which is being set up inside a massive exhibition hall on the outskirts of Milan and will host lesser games during the Olympics.

Usually, freshly built Olympic facilities are trialled at least the year before to holding medal events. And with a large hockey venue, it’s not just about the playing surface and making sure that the rink is prepared and safe. It’s also about testing concession stands, restrooms and everything else inside a brand-new modern arena.

This new facility, which is being constructed by a private company, is scheduled to become Italy’s largest covered stadium. For after the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a potential future host of the ATP Finals tennis tournament.

Despite the delays and worries, expensive passes are already being purchased for matches at the Santagiulia arena. Seats for the men's championship game on 22 February – the final day of the games – are going for as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). This exceeds the price of 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 revealed last February, with the premier hockey league permitting its athletes to participate in the Winter Olympics for the initial occasion since 2014 in Sochi.

Men's Olympic hockey competition is scheduled to take place from 11-22 February. The women’s tournament occurs from 5-19 February.