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Forget about poor conditions. For now, there’s no ice.

With NHL players preparing to make a comeback to the Olympics for the initial occasion in more than a ten years, construction on the main 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 more compact arena – and that no additional trial has been arranged yet.

This situation raises the prospect that there may not be a game held in the main arena until the competition begins for the women's initial games at the Olympics on 5 February – one day before the opening ceremony.

“The timeline will be extremely tight to the beginning of the games, the timeline is very tight. However, we were aware,” Milan-Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier said in a recent update.

The competition that was supposed to test the Santagiulia ice was part of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. This tournament has been moved to the Rho Fiera hockey venue, which is being established inside a giant exhibition hall on Milan’s outskirts and will host secondary matches during the Olympics.

Usually, freshly built Olympic facilities are tested at least the year before to hosting podium competitions. And with a large hockey venue, it’s not just about the ice and ensuring that the playing surface is ready and secure. It’s additionally about testing concession stands, restrooms and everything else inside a brand-new modern arena.

This new facility, which is being built by a commercial firm, is scheduled to become the nation's largest covered stadium. Following the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a possible future host of the ATP Tour Finals tennis tournament.

Despite the postponements and worries, expensive passes are already being sold for matches at the Santagiulia venue. Seats for the men's championship final on 22 February – the closing day of the games – are going for as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). That’s more than the price of any other sports event at the Milano Cortina Games. Solely passes for the opening and closing ceremonies cost more.

The comeback of NHL players at the Olympics was announced in February of last year, with the world’s top hockey league allowing its athletes 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. Women's event runs from 5-19 February.