Organisers of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics have confirmed there is no contingency plan if the main ice hockey arena fails to be completed on time, placing immense pressure on the construction schedule.
A Race Against the Clock
The construction of the new Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Assago, on the outskirts of Milan, is currently running behind schedule. This 16,000-seat venue is critical for the Games, as it is set to welcome NHL players back to the Olympic ice hockey tournament for the first time in over a decade.
Andrea Francisi, the chief games operations officer for Milan Cortina, stated unequivocally to the Associated Press, "There is no plan B." He emphasised that the competition must be organised impeccably at the Santagiulia location, leaving no room for alternative arrangements.
Rescheduled Tests and Daily Monitoring
The tight timeline has already forced changes to the testing phase. A key test event had to be moved, and new test events are now scheduled for the 9th to the 11th of January. This is an unusually late date for testing a new Olympic venue, which are typically trialled at least a year in advance.
Francisi admitted that there is "no precise date" for when the venue will be officially handed over to local organisers. However, he expressed a degree of confidence, noting that his team is on-site daily, working in close collaboration with the construction companies, who have "sped up their work significantly."
The testing phase is about more than just the quality of the ice. It involves a full-scale assessment of all facilities, including concession stands, bathrooms, and the overall spectator experience within the brand-new arena.
The Olympic Schedule Hangs in the Balance
The first Olympic event scheduled for the arena is a women's preliminary round hockey match on the 5th of February 2026, just one day before the opening ceremony. The women's tournament is set to run until the 19th of February, while the highly anticipated men's tournament, featuring the returning NHL stars, is scheduled from the 11th to the 22nd of February.
Despite the delays, organisers remain publicly optimistic. Francisi described the team as "healthily optimistic, but 100% we'll do it," underscoring the determined effort to ensure the arena is ready to host the world's best ice hockey players.
