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Forget about poor conditions. Currently, there’s no ice.

With NHL athletes preparing to make a comeback to the Olympics for the initial occasion in over a decade, construction on the primary hockey arena for the Milan-Cortina Games is cutting it close.

Local organizers confirmed on Wednesday that the main test event for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia arena originally planned for December has been relocated to a more compact venue – and that no new test event has been arranged yet.

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

“The timeline will 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 recently.

The competition that was supposed to evaluate the Santagiulia playing surface was a segment 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 Milan’s outskirts and will host lesser games during the Olympics.

Usually, freshly built Olympic facilities are trialled at least the prior year to holding podium competitions. And with a large hockey venue, it’s not only about the ice and making sure that the rink is prepared and safe. It’s also about testing concession stands, restrooms and everything else inside a newly constructed modern arena.

This new facility, which is being built by a commercial firm, is slated 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.

Despite the postponements and worries, high-priced passes are already being purchased for matches at the Santagiulia arena. Tickets for the men's championship final on 22 February – the closing day of the Olympics – are going for as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). This exceeds the price of any other athletic competition at the Milan-Cortina Games. Only passes for the inaugural and final events cost more.

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

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