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Put aside thin ice. For now, there’s no ice.

With NHL players preparing to make a comeback to the Olympics for the first time in more than a decade, construction on the primary hockey venue for the Milano Cortina Games is cutting it close.

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

The issue raises the prospect that there may not be a match held in the primary venue until the puck is dropped for the women's initial games at the Olympics on 5 February – one day 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 organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier stated in a recent update.

The event 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 transferred to the Rho Fair hockey venue, which is being set up inside a giant convention center on the outskirts of Milan and will stage lesser games during the games.

Usually, new Olympic venues are tested at least the prior year to hosting podium competitions. And with a large hockey arena, it’s not only about the playing surface and making sure that the rink is ready and secure. It’s also about checking food outlets, bathrooms and all other amenities inside a newly constructed modern stadium.

This new facility, which is being built by a private company, is scheduled to become the nation's biggest indoor arena. For after the Olympics, it’s being considered as a possible upcoming venue of the ATP Finals tennis event.

Despite the delays and worries, expensive tickets are already being sold for events at the Santagiulia arena. Tickets for the men's championship final on 22 February – the closing day of the games – are priced at as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). That’s more than for any other athletic competition at the Milan-Cortina Games. Only passes for the inaugural and final events cost more.

The comeback of NHL players at the Olympics was announced last February, with the world’s top hockey organization allowing its athletes to compete in the Winter Olympics for the initial occasion since 2014 in Sochi.

The men’s Olympic hockey competition is set to take place from 11-22 February. Women's event runs from 5-19 February.