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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 more than a ten years, construction on the primary hockey venue for the Milan-Cortina Games is going down to the wire.

Officials confirmed on Wednesday that the primary trial competition for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia arena that was scheduled for December has been moved to a smaller venue – and that no additional trial has been arranged yet.

The issue raises the prospect that there might not be a game held in the primary venue until the puck is dropped for the women’s preliminary round at the Olympics on 5 February – one day before the opening ceremony.

“It’s going to be very close to the start of the Olympics, the timeline is very tight. But we knew that,” Milano Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier stated in a recent update.

The event that was supposed to evaluate 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 venue, which is being set up inside a giant convention center on the outskirts of Milan and will host lesser games during the games.

Usually, freshly built Olympic facilities are tested at least the year before to hosting medal events. And with a sizable hockey venue, it’s not only about the ice and making sure that the rink is ready and safe. It’s also about testing food outlets, restrooms and all other amenities inside a newly constructed contemporary stadium.

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

In spite of the postponements and worries, expensive tickets are already being purchased for matches at the Santagiulia arena. Tickets for the men's championship final on 22 February – the final day of the games – are going for as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). This exceeds the price of 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 revealed last February, with the premier hockey organization permitting its athletes to participate in the Winter Games for the first time since 2014 in Sochi.

Men's Olympic hockey tournament is set to run from 11-22 February. Women's event occurs from 5-19 February.