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Forget about thin ice. For now, there’s no ice.

With NHL athletes gearing up to return to the Olympic Games for the first time in over a ten years, construction on the primary hockey arena for the Milan-Cortina Games is cutting it close.

Local organizers announced on Wednesday that the primary test event for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia facility originally planned for December has been moved to a smaller venue – and that no new test event has been scheduled yet.

The issue creates the possibility 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 – 24 hours before the inaugural event.

“It’s going to be very close to the beginning of the Olympics, the schedule is very tight. However, we were aware,” Milano Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier said 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. That event has been transferred to the Rho Fiera hockey venue, which is being established inside a massive exhibition hall on the outskirts of Milan and will stage secondary matches during the Olympics.

Usually, new Olympic venues are trialled at least the prior year to hosting medal events. And with a sizable hockey arena, it’s not just about the ice and making sure that the rink is prepared and secure. It’s additionally about checking food outlets, bathrooms and all other amenities inside a brand-new contemporary stadium.

This new facility, which is being constructed by a commercial firm, is scheduled to become Italy’s biggest covered stadium. For after the Olympics, it’s being considered as a potential upcoming venue of the ATP Tour Finals tennis event.

In spite of the delays and worries, high-priced tickets are already being purchased for events at the Santagiulia arena. Tickets for the men's championship game on 22 February – the final day of the Olympics – are going for as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). That’s more than for any other sports event at the Milan-Cortina Games. Solely passes for the opening and closing ceremonies cost more.

The comeback of NHL stars at the Olympics was announced last February, with the premier hockey league allowing its players to participate in the Winter Olympics for the initial occasion since 2014 in Sochi.

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