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Forget about poor conditions. For now, the surface isn't ready.

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 Milano Cortina Games is going down to the wire.

Officials confirmed on Wednesday that the primary test event for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia facility 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 game held in the main arena until the competition begins for the women’s preliminary round at the Olympics on 5 February – one day before the opening ceremony.

“It’s going to be very close to the start of the games, the schedule is highly compressed. But we knew that,” Milan-Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier said in a recent update.

The event that was intended to test the Santagiulia playing surface was a segment of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been moved to the Rho Fiera hockey venue, which is being established inside a giant exhibition hall on the outskirts of Milan and will host secondary matches during the Olympics.

Usually, new Olympic venues are trialled at least the prior year to hosting medal events. And with a large hockey arena, it’s not just about the playing surface and making sure that the playing surface is prepared and safe. It’s additionally about testing concession stands, bathrooms and all other amenities inside a newly constructed modern arena.

The Santagiulia venue, which is being constructed by a commercial firm, is slated to become the nation's largest covered stadium. For after the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a possible upcoming venue of the ATP Tour Finals tennis tournament.

Despite the delays and concerns, expensive passes are already being sold for matches at the Santagiulia arena. Seats for the men’s gold medal game on 22 February – the final day of the games – are priced at as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). That’s more than for any other sports event at the Milan-Cortina Games. Solely tickets for the inaugural and final events cost more.

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

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