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Put aside poor conditions. Currently, there’s no ice.

As NHL players preparing to return to the Olympic Games for the initial occasion in over a ten years, construction on the main hockey arena for the Milan-Cortina Games is cutting it close.

Local organizers announced on Wednesday that the primary test event for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia facility originally planned for December has been moved to a smaller arena – and that no additional trial has been scheduled yet.

The issue raises the prospect that there may not be a match held in the main arena until the puck is dropped for the women’s preliminary round at the Olympics on 5 February – 24 hours before the inaugural event.

“It’s going to be very close to the start of the games, the schedule is very tight. However, we were aware,” Milano Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier said recently.

The competition that was supposed to evaluate the Santagiulia playing surface was part of the under-20 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 the outskirts of Milan and will host lesser games during the games.

Usually, new Olympic venues are tested at least the prior year to holding podium competitions. And with a sizable hockey arena, it’s not just about the ice and ensuring that the rink is prepared and secure. It’s additionally about testing food outlets, bathrooms and everything else inside a newly constructed contemporary stadium.

This new facility, which is being constructed by a private company, is scheduled to become Italy’s biggest indoor arena. Following the Olympics, it’s being considered as a potential upcoming venue of the ATP Tour Finals tennis tournament.

In spite of the delays and worries, high-priced tickets 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 Olympics – are priced at as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). This exceeds the price of any other athletic competition at the Milan-Cortina Games. Only passes for the opening and closing ceremonies cost more.

The comeback of NHL stars at the Olympics was announced in February of last year, with the premier hockey organization permitting its athletes 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. The women’s event runs from 5-19 February.