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

With NHL athletes preparing to return to the Olympics for the initial occasion in over a decade, construction on the main hockey venue for the Milan-Cortina Games is cutting it close.

Officials confirmed on Wednesday that the main trial competition for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia facility originally planned for December has been relocated to a smaller venue – and that no new test event has been arranged yet.

This situation creates the possibility that there might not be a match held in the main arena until the puck is dropped for the women’s preliminary round at the Olympics on 5 February – one day before the opening ceremony.

“It’s going to be very close to the beginning of the Olympics, the schedule is highly compressed. But we knew that,” Milano Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier stated in a recent update.

The competition that was supposed to test the Santagiulia ice was part of the under-20 world championship from 8-14 December. This tournament has been transferred to the Rho Fiera hockey location, which is being established inside a giant exhibition hall on the outskirts of Milan and will host lesser games during the games.

Usually, new Olympic venues are tested at least the prior year to hosting medal events. And with a large hockey arena, it’s not only about the playing surface and ensuring that the playing surface is prepared and safe. It’s additionally about testing concession stands, bathrooms and all other amenities inside a newly constructed modern arena.

This new facility, which is being constructed by a private company, is scheduled to become Italy’s largest covered stadium. Following the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a potential upcoming venue of the ATP Finals tennis tournament.

Despite the delays and worries, expensive passes are already being sold for events at the Santagiulia arena. Seats for the men’s gold medal final on 22 February – the closing day of the Olympics – are going for as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). This exceeds for any other athletic competition at the Milan-Cortina Games. Only passes for the inaugural and final events are priced higher.

The comeback of NHL stars at the Olympics was revealed in February of last year, with the premier hockey league permitting its players to participate in the Winter Games 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 runs from 5-19 February.