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Forget about poor conditions. For now, the surface isn't ready.

As NHL athletes preparing to return to the Olympic Games for the first time in more than a ten years, construction on the primary hockey arena for the Milan-Cortina Games is cutting it close.

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

This situation raises the prospect that there may not be a match held in the primary venue until the puck is dropped for the women’s preliminary round at the Olympics on 5 February – 24 hours before the opening ceremony.

“It’s going to be very close to the beginning of the Olympics, the timeline is very tight. However, we were aware,” Milan-Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier stated in a recent update.

The event that was intended to test the Santagiulia playing surface was part of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. This tournament has been moved to the Rho Fair hockey location, which is being set up inside a giant exhibition hall on the outskirts of Milan and will host lesser games during the games.

Typically, freshly built Olympic facilities are tested at least the prior year to hosting medal events. And with a sizable hockey arena, it’s not just about the playing surface and making sure that the playing surface is ready and safe. It’s also about checking concession stands, restrooms and all other amenities inside a brand-new modern arena.

The Santagiulia venue, which is being constructed by a commercial firm, is scheduled to become the nation's largest indoor arena. For after the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a potential future host of the ATP Tour Finals tennis tournament.

In spite of the delays and concerns, high-priced tickets are already being purchased for events at the Santagiulia arena. Seats for the men’s gold medal game on 22 February – the final day of the Olympics – are priced at as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). That’s more than the price of any other sports event at the Milan-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 players to participate in the Winter Olympics for the first time since 2014 in Sochi.

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