Put aside thin ice. Currently, the surface isn't ready.
As NHL athletes gearing up to return to the Olympics for the initial occasion in over a ten years, construction on the main hockey venue for the Milan-Cortina Games is going down to the wire.
Officials confirmed on Wednesday that the primary test event for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia arena that was scheduled for December has been relocated to a more compact arena – and that no additional trial has been scheduled yet.
This situation raises the prospect that there might 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 – one day before the inaugural event.
“It’s going to be very close to the beginning of the games, the timeline is very tight. But we knew that,” Milan-Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier stated recently.
The competition that was supposed to test the Santagiulia ice was a segment of the under-20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been transferred to the Rho Fiera hockey venue, which is being set up inside a giant convention center on Milan’s outskirts and will stage secondary matches during the games.
Usually, new Olympic venues are trialled at least the year before to holding podium competitions. And with a large hockey venue, it’s not only about the ice and making sure that the playing surface is prepared and secure. It’s additionally about testing concession stands, bathrooms and everything else inside a brand-new contemporary arena.
This new facility, which is being constructed by a commercial firm, is scheduled to become the nation's biggest covered stadium. Following the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a potential upcoming venue of the ATP Finals tennis event.
In spite of the delays and worries, high-priced passes are already being sold for matches at the Santagiulia arena. Tickets for the men’s gold medal final on 22 February – the closing day of the Olympics – are priced at as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). That’s more than the price of any other athletic competition at the Milano Cortina Games. Only passes for the opening and closing ceremonies are priced higher.
The comeback of NHL stars at the Olympics was announced last February, with the world’s top hockey league permitting its players to compete in the Winter Olympics for the initial occasion since 2014 in Sochi.
The men’s Olympic hockey competition is set to take place from 11-22 February. The women’s event occurs from 5-19 February.
