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

With NHL athletes gearing up to make a comeback to the Olympics for the initial occasion in over a decade, construction on the main hockey venue for the Milan-Cortina Games is cutting it close.

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

The issue 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 – 24 hours before the opening ceremony.

“The timeline will be extremely tight to the beginning of the games, the timeline is highly compressed. But we knew that,” Milan-Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier stated in a recent update.

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

Typically, freshly built Olympic facilities are tested at least the year before to hosting podium competitions. And with a large hockey arena, it’s not only about the playing surface and making sure that the playing surface is ready and safe. It’s additionally about checking food outlets, bathrooms and all other amenities inside a newly constructed modern arena.

The Santagiulia venue, which is being constructed by a private company, is slated to become the nation's largest indoor arena. Following the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a potential future host of the ATP Finals tennis event.

In spite of the delays and concerns, high-priced passes are already being sold for events at the Santagiulia arena. Tickets for the men's championship game on 22 February – the final day of the Olympics – are going for as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). That’s more than the price of any other sports event at the Milano Cortina Games. Solely tickets for the inaugural and final events are priced higher.

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

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