Forget about thin ice. For now, the surface isn't ready.
With NHL players gearing up to make a comeback to the Olympics for the first time in over a decade, building work on the primary hockey venue for the Milan-Cortina Games is going down to the wire.
Local organizers confirmed on Wednesday that the primary trial competition for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia arena originally planned for December has been relocated to a more compact venue – and that no additional trial has been scheduled yet.
This situation creates the possibility that there may 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 inaugural event.
“It’s going to be very close to the start of the games, the schedule is very tight. However, we were aware,” Milano Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier said recently.
The competition that was intended to evaluate the Santagiulia playing surface was a segment of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been transferred to the Rho Fair hockey location, which is being established inside a massive convention center on the outskirts of Milan and will host lesser games during the Olympics.
Usually, freshly built Olympic facilities are tested at least the year before to holding medal events. And with a sizable hockey arena, it’s not just about the ice and ensuring that the playing surface is prepared and safe. It’s additionally about checking food outlets, restrooms and all other amenities inside a brand-new modern stadium.
This new facility, which is being built by a commercial firm, is slated to become Italy’s largest covered stadium. Following the Olympics, it’s being considered as a possible future host of the ATP Finals tennis tournament.
Despite the delays and worries, high-priced tickets are already being sold for matches at the Santagiulia arena. Tickets for the men's championship game on 22 February – the closing day of the Olympics – are priced at as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). This exceeds for any other sports event at the Milano Cortina Games. Only tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies are priced higher.
The comeback of NHL stars at the Olympics was announced last February, with the premier hockey organization permitting its players to compete in the Winter Olympics for the first time since 2014 in Sochi.
Men's Olympic hockey tournament is scheduled to take place from 11-22 February. Women's tournament runs from 5-19 February.
