Put aside thin ice. Currently, the surface isn't ready.
With NHL players gearing up to make a comeback to the Olympics for the initial occasion in more than a decade, building work on the primary hockey arena for the Milan-Cortina Games is cutting it close.
Officials confirmed on Wednesday that the primary test event for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia arena originally planned for December has been relocated to a smaller venue – and that no additional trial has been scheduled yet.
This situation creates the possibility that there may not be a match held in the primary venue until the puck is dropped for the women’s preliminary round at the Olympics on 5 February – 24 hours before the inaugural event.
“The timeline will be extremely tight to the beginning of the games, the schedule is highly compressed. However, we were aware,” Milano Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier stated in a recent update.
The event that was intended to test the Santagiulia playing surface was part of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. This tournament has been transferred to the Rho Fiera hockey venue, which is being set up inside a massive convention center on Milan’s outskirts and will stage lesser games during the Olympics.
Usually, freshly built Olympic facilities are trialled at least the prior year to hosting podium competitions. And with a sizable hockey venue, it’s not just about the playing surface and ensuring that the rink is prepared and secure. It’s additionally about checking concession stands, bathrooms and all other amenities inside a newly constructed modern arena.
This new facility, which is being constructed by a private company, 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. Tickets for the men’s gold medal final on 22 February – the closing day of the games – are going for as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). This exceeds for any other athletic competition at the Milano Cortina Games. Only passes for the inaugural and final events are priced higher.
The comeback of NHL players at the Olympics was announced in February of last year, with the premier hockey league allowing its players to participate in the Winter Games for the first time since 2014 in Sochi.
Men's Olympic hockey competition is scheduled to take place from 11-22 February. The women’s tournament occurs from 5-19 February.
