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

As NHL players preparing to make a comeback to the Olympics for the initial occasion in over a decade, construction on the primary hockey arena for the Milano Cortina Games is cutting it close.

Officials announced on Wednesday that the primary trial competition for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia arena originally planned for December has been relocated to a smaller venue – and that no additional trial has been arranged yet.

The issue creates the possibility that there may not be a game 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.

“It’s going to be extremely tight to the start of the games, the timeline is highly compressed. However, we were aware,” Milano Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier stated recently.

The event that was supposed to test the Santagiulia playing surface was a segment of the under-20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been moved to the Rho Fiera hockey venue, which is being set up inside a giant exhibition hall on Milan’s outskirts and will host lesser games during the Olympics.

Usually, freshly built Olympic facilities are tested at least the prior year to holding medal events. And with a sizable hockey venue, it’s not only about the ice and making sure that the playing surface is ready and secure. It’s additionally about testing food outlets, restrooms and all other amenities inside a newly constructed contemporary arena.

The Santagiulia venue, which is being built by a private company, is slated to become Italy’s largest covered stadium. Following the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a potential future host of the ATP Finals tennis tournament.

Despite the postponements and worries, expensive passes are already being purchased for matches at the Santagiulia venue. Seats for the men’s gold medal final 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 athletic competition at the Milano Cortina Games. Only tickets for the inaugural and final events are priced higher.

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

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