Just a few days before the opening of the Winter Olympics, organisers have admitted the new ice hockey arena in Milan will not be finished in time for the first match of the Games, but guarantee that "all scheduled fixtures will be played there."
The world changed significantly between when the winning host bid was secured in 2019 and when it was time to get to work.
The project fell behind schedule due to the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ground wasn’t broken in Milan until spring 2023.
Today, you may witness the result of the delay. Shortly before the start of the Winter Olympics, the Santa Giulia Ice Hockey Arena leaves an impression of a frantic construction site, according to widespread reports.
Most roads remain closed around the arena, while unused construction materials are scattered around the arena. A multitude of things in the arena still need to be completed, including hospitality boxes as well as food and drink stalls, while there are no seats in the press area.
At the same time, manufacturing labels are still attached to sinks in toilets, painter's tape hangs from doors, and messages scribbled on post-it notes are scattered everywhere, according to visitors at test events. Paint splatter is noticeable on walls and floors, and footprints appear in the dust from construction workers. You may also come across large wires poking out of the walls, while core elements like electricity and running water are functioning.
The construction of the arena has been haunted by delays and controversies, which have led to a boycott warning from the National Hockey League (NHL).
The rink in Milan, approved by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), is shorter than the minimum requirement in the NHL, leading to suggestions that there could be an increase in high-speed collisions.
The men's and women's tournaments should have taken place on surfaces measuring 200 feet (60.96 metres) by 85 feet (25.91 metres), in accordance with NHL standards, as the league permits its star players to compete in the Games for the first time since 2014.
However, the sport's global governing body, IIHF, confirmed in December that players would play on ice measuring 196.85 feet (60 m) by 85.3 feet (26 m) at both the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena and Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.
This has caused tensions between the NHL and the IIHF, as the Americans feel that the International Ice Hockey Federation has failed to live up to expectations.
"Both we and the (NHL) Players' Association, and we have made the IIHF very aware that when we participate in the Olympics in 2030, we expect it to be NHL ice surface," says NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly to NHL.com.
The remaining unfinished business at the arena in Milan includes getting the practice rink in a functioning state, completing the 14 permanent dressing rooms, and making sure that the ice is fit for NHL players, who have been very concerned following reports of gaps in the ice appearing during a test event.
"It’s so much different than back home," says Danny Eruzion (the nephew of the 1980 'Miracle on Ice' captain, Mike Eruzione) to the New York Times.
Eruzione is enjoying his fourth season in the Italian domestic hockey league.
"Everything is so laid-back. You can see, like, the rink’s not done. That’s the way of life here. They’ve got maybe 200 people sitting around and no one’s really working."
As if the already mentioned issues weren't enough to cause widespread concern over the organisation of the Olympic ice hockey tournaments in Milan, reports also suggest that organisers might be forced to cut spectator capacity from more than 15,000 seats to 11,800 as architectural engineering is leaving organisers with plenty of worries at the 11th hour.
Despite the bleak prospects of presenting an ice hockey arena that can live up to the traditions and 'grandeur' of the Winter Olympics, American winger Brady Tkachuk says that the Olympic hockey tournament is bound to be "spectacular."
Tkachuk insisted that he "could really care less about" the arena controversy. The mindset of US players, according to Tkachuk, is not to waste time worrying about anything outside their control.
"All that stuff always works itself out," Tkachuk said.
"Whether ice is good ice or not good ice, it doesn’t really matter. What matters is the opportunity to be playing in the Olympics and going out there and competing to win the gold medal."
Follow the men's hockey at the Winter Olympics with Flashscore.
