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

With NHL players preparing to return to the Olympics for the initial occasion in over a decade, building work on the main hockey venue for the Milano Cortina Games is cutting it close.

Local organizers confirmed on Wednesday that the main test event for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia facility that was scheduled for December has been moved to a smaller venue – and that no additional trial has been arranged yet.

The issue creates the possibility that there might not be a game held in the primary venue until the competition begins for the women’s preliminary round at the Olympics on 5 February – 24 hours before the inaugural event.

“It’s going to be extremely tight to the beginning of the games, the timeline is very tight. However, we were aware,” Milan-Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier stated recently.

The event that was intended to evaluate the Santagiulia playing surface was part of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been moved to the Rho Fair hockey location, which is being set up inside a massive convention center on Milan’s outskirts and will stage secondary matches during the Olympics.

Usually, freshly built Olympic facilities are tested at least the year before to holding podium competitions. And with a sizable hockey arena, it’s not just about the playing surface and ensuring that the rink is ready and secure. It’s also about checking concession stands, restrooms and everything else inside a brand-new contemporary stadium.

The Santagiulia venue, which is being constructed by a commercial firm, is slated to become the nation's largest covered stadium. For after the Olympics, it’s being considered as a possible upcoming venue of the ATP Tour Finals tennis event.

Despite the delays and worries, 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). This exceeds the price of any other athletic competition at the Milan-Cortina Games. Solely passes for the opening and closing ceremonies cost more.

The return 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.

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