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Forget about thin ice. For now, the surface isn't ready.

As NHL athletes gearing up to make a comeback to the Olympics for the initial occasion in over a decade, building work on the main hockey venue for the Milan-Cortina Games is going down to the wire.

Local organizers announced on Wednesday that the primary test event for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia arena that was scheduled for December has been relocated to a smaller arena – and that no additional trial has been scheduled yet.

The issue raises the prospect that there might not be a game held in the main arena until the puck is dropped for the women’s preliminary round at the Olympics on 5 February – 24 hours before the inaugural event.

“The timeline will be extremely tight to the start of the Olympics, the schedule is highly compressed. However, we were aware,” Milano Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier stated in a recent update.

The event that was supposed to test the Santagiulia ice was part of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. This tournament has been transferred to the Rho Fair hockey venue, which is being established inside a giant convention center on the outskirts of Milan and will stage secondary matches during the Olympics.

Usually, new Olympic venues are trialled at least the year before to holding medal events. And with a sizable hockey venue, it’s not only about the ice and ensuring that the rink is prepared and safe. It’s additionally about testing concession stands, restrooms and all other amenities inside a brand-new modern arena.

The Santagiulia venue, which is being built by a private company, is scheduled to become Italy’s largest indoor arena. Following the Olympics, it’s being considered as a potential future host of the ATP Finals tennis event.

In spite of the delays and worries, high-priced tickets are already being purchased for events at the Santagiulia venue. Seats for the men’s gold medal final on 22 February – the closing day of the Olympics – are priced at as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). This exceeds the price of any other athletic competition at the Milano Cortina Games. Solely tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies are priced higher.

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