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Put aside poor conditions. Currently, the surface isn't ready.

As NHL players gearing up to return to the Olympics for the first time in more than a ten years, building work on the primary hockey venue for the Milan-Cortina Games is cutting it close.

Local organizers confirmed on Wednesday that the primary trial competition for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia arena originally planned for December has been moved to a smaller venue – and that no new test event has been scheduled yet.

This situation creates the possibility that there might not be a game held in the primary venue until the competition begins for the women’s preliminary round at the Olympics on 5 February – one day before the opening ceremony.

“The timeline will be very close to the start of the games, the timeline is very tight. But we knew that,” Milan-Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier stated recently.

The event that was supposed to test the Santagiulia playing surface was part of the under-20 world championship from 8-14 December. This tournament has been moved to the Rho Fiera hockey location, which is being set up inside a giant convention center on the outskirts of Milan and will host lesser games during the games.

Usually, new Olympic venues are trialled at least the prior year to holding podium competitions. And with a sizable hockey arena, it’s not just about the ice and ensuring that the rink is prepared and safe. It’s additionally about checking food outlets, restrooms and all other amenities inside a newly constructed contemporary arena.

This new facility, which is being constructed by a commercial firm, is scheduled to become the nation's biggest indoor arena. For after the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a potential upcoming venue of the ATP Tour Finals tennis tournament.

Despite the delays and concerns, high-priced passes are already being purchased for matches at the Santagiulia venue. Tickets for the men's championship game on 22 February – the final day of the Olympics – are going for as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). This exceeds the price of any other sports event at the Milan-Cortina Games. Solely passes for the opening and closing ceremonies are priced higher.

The comeback of NHL players at the Olympics was revealed in February of last year, with the premier hockey organization permitting its players to compete in the Winter Olympics 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.