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

With NHL players preparing to make a comeback to the Olympics for the initial occasion in over a decade, construction on the primary hockey venue for the Milano Cortina Games is cutting it close.

Officials confirmed on Wednesday that the primary 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.

This situation creates the possibility that there may not be a match held in the primary venue until the competition begins for the women's initial games at the Olympics on 5 February – 24 hours before the opening ceremony.

“It’s going to be very close to the start of the Olympics, the timeline is very tight. However, we were aware,” Milano Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier stated recently.

The event that was intended to evaluate the Santagiulia playing surface was a segment of the under-20 world championship from 8-14 December. This tournament has been transferred to the Rho Fiera hockey location, which is being set up inside a giant convention center on the outskirts of Milan 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 large hockey venue, it’s not only about the playing surface and making sure that the rink is prepared and safe. It’s also about checking food outlets, bathrooms and all other amenities inside a newly constructed contemporary stadium.

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

In spite of the delays and worries, expensive passes are already being sold for matches at the Santagiulia venue. Seats for the men’s gold medal game on 22 February – the closing day of the Olympics – are priced at as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). This exceeds the price of any other athletic competition at the Milano Cortina Games. Only tickets for the inaugural and final events are priced higher.

The return of NHL stars at the Olympics was announced last February, with the world’s top hockey league permitting its athletes to compete in the Winter Games for the initial occasion since 2014 in Sochi.

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