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

With NHL players gearing up to return to the Olympics for the first time in over a ten years, building work on the primary 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-capacity Santagiulia arena originally planned for December has been moved to a smaller venue – and that no new test event has been scheduled yet.

This situation raises the prospect that there may not be a match 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 start of the Olympics, the timeline is very tight. But we knew that,” Milan-Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier said in a recent update.

The event that was intended to evaluate the Santagiulia playing surface was part of the under-20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been moved to the Rho Fair hockey location, which is being established inside a massive exhibition hall on Milan’s outskirts and will host lesser games during the games.

Usually, new Olympic venues are trialled at least the year before to hosting medal events. And with a sizable hockey venue, it’s not only about the ice and making sure that the playing surface is ready and safe. It’s also about testing food outlets, restrooms and all other amenities inside a brand-new modern arena.

The Santagiulia venue, which is being constructed by a private company, is slated to become the nation's largest indoor arena. For after the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a possible upcoming venue of the ATP Finals tennis event.

Despite the delays and concerns, high-priced passes are already being purchased for events at the Santagiulia venue. Seats for the men's championship game on 22 February – the final day of the Olympics – are going for as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). That’s more than for any other athletic competition at the Milano Cortina Games. Solely passes for the opening and closing ceremonies are priced higher.

The return of NHL stars at the Olympics was revealed last February, with the world’s top hockey league allowing its players to compete in the Winter Olympics for the first time since 2014 in Sochi.

Men's Olympic hockey competition is scheduled to run from 11-22 February. The women’s tournament runs from 5-19 February.