The construction raises the prospect that there might not be a game held in the main arena until the women’s competition at the Olympics starts on Feb. 5, a day before the opening ceremony. Getty Images
NHL players are preparing to return to the Olympics for the first time in more than a decade, and construction on the main hockey arena for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games is “going down to the wire.” Local organizers said that the main test event for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia arena that was scheduled for December has been “moved to a smaller arena” — and that “no new test event has been scheduled yet.” The event that was supposed to test the Santagiulia ice was part of the under-20 world championship from Dec. 8-14, but that event has been “moved to the Rho Fiera hockey venue.” The issue “raises the prospect” that there might “not be a game held in the main arena until the puck is dropped for the women’s preliminary round competition at the Olympics on Feb. 5 — one day before the opening ceremony” (AP, 10/15).