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Forget about poor conditions. Currently, there’s no ice.

As NHL athletes preparing to make a comeback to the Olympics for the initial occasion in more than a decade, building work on the main hockey venue for the Milan-Cortina Games is cutting it close.

Local organizers confirmed on Wednesday that the primary test event for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia arena originally planned for December has been relocated to a more compact arena – and that no additional trial has been arranged yet.

This situation raises the prospect that there might 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 opening ceremony.

“The timeline will be very close to the beginning of the Olympics, the timeline is very tight. But we knew that,” Milan-Cortina local organizing committee 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 giant convention center on Milan’s outskirts and will stage lesser games during the Olympics.

Typically, freshly built Olympic facilities are trialled at least the year before to hosting podium competitions. And with a large hockey venue, it’s not just about the ice and making sure that the rink is prepared and secure. It’s also about testing concession stands, restrooms and everything else inside a brand-new contemporary arena.

The Santagiulia venue, which is being constructed by a commercial firm, is scheduled to become Italy’s biggest indoor arena. Following the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a potential future host of the ATP Finals tennis event.

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 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 sports event at the Milan-Cortina Games. Solely tickets 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 organization permitting its athletes to participate in the Winter Olympics for the initial occasion since 2014 in Sochi.

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