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

With NHL players gearing up to make a comeback to the Olympic Games for the first time in more than a decade, construction on the primary 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 that was scheduled for December has been moved to a more compact venue – and that no additional trial has been scheduled yet.

This situation creates the possibility that there might not be a match held in the main arena until the competition begins for the women’s preliminary round at the Olympics on 5 February – 24 hours before the opening ceremony.

“It’s going to be very close to the beginning of the games, the timeline is highly compressed. However, we were aware,” Milan-Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier stated in a recent update.

The competition that was intended to test the Santagiulia ice was a segment of the under-20 world championship from 8-14 December. This tournament has been moved to the Rho Fiera hockey venue, which is being established inside a massive exhibition hall on Milan’s outskirts and will stage secondary matches during the games.

Usually, new Olympic venues are tested at least the year before to hosting medal events. And with a sizable hockey venue, it’s not only about the playing surface and ensuring that the playing surface is ready and safe. It’s additionally about testing food outlets, bathrooms and all other amenities inside a brand-new contemporary arena.

This new facility, which is being constructed by a commercial firm, is scheduled to become the nation's largest covered stadium. For after the Olympics, it’s being considered as a potential upcoming venue of the ATP Tour Finals tennis event.

Despite the postponements and worries, expensive passes are already being purchased for events at the Santagiulia venue. Seats for the men's championship final on 22 February – the final day of the games – are going for as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). That’s more than 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 allowing its players to participate in the Winter Olympics for the first time since 2014 in Sochi.

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