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

As NHL players preparing to make a comeback to the Olympic Games for the initial occasion in over a ten years, construction on the main hockey arena for the Milano 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 smaller venue – and that no new test event has been arranged yet.

The issue raises the prospect 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 inaugural event.

“The timeline will be very close to the beginning of the Olympics, the schedule is highly compressed. However, we were aware,” Milano Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier said in a recent update.

The event that was intended to evaluate the Santagiulia ice was part of the under-20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been transferred to the Rho Fiera hockey location, which is being established inside a giant convention center on the outskirts of Milan and will stage lesser games during the Olympics.

Typically, new Olympic venues are trialled at least the prior year to holding medal events. And with a large hockey arena, it’s not only about the playing surface and making sure that the rink is prepared and secure. It’s also about checking food outlets, bathrooms and all other amenities inside a brand-new contemporary arena.

The Santagiulia venue, which is being built by a private company, is slated to become Italy’s biggest covered stadium. For after the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a possible future host of the ATP Tour Finals tennis event.

Despite the postponements and worries, high-priced passes are already being sold for matches at the Santagiulia venue. Seats for the men's championship final on 22 February – the final day of the games – are priced at as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). This exceeds for any other sports event at the Milano Cortina Games. Only tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies cost more.

The return of NHL players at the Olympics was revealed in February of last year, with the premier hockey league allowing its athletes to participate in the Winter Games for the first time since 2014 in Sochi.

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