The head of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has admitted that parts of the main hockey rink for the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics may not be fully finished in time for the Games. However, Luc Tardif insisted that the playing surface, practice facilities, and dressing rooms will be ready when the men's competition begins on 11 February.
“You're not going to go to Milano for nothing,” Tardif told reporters at the world junior championship on Monday. He acknowledged that the main arena's capacity of 11,800 seats was “a little bit short” of expectations, but said it would still be “a nice setup for the Olympic Games.”
The comments come amid ongoing concerns over construction delays at the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena and the secondary Rho facility. The NHL is returning to the Winter Games for the first time since 2014, with the women's tournament starting on 5 February, and the league has expressed worries about both construction progress and the quality of the ice surface.
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said last month that the league would not send its players if there were any safety concerns, and that its own experts would travel to Italy to ensure the ice is safe. The rinks in Milan are smaller than NHL standards, though still within IIHF regulations. The NHL was caught off guard by the dimensions, which are slightly wider and three feet shorter than had been agreed.
Tardif stressed that the IIHF was not responsible for construction – that lies with the International Olympic Committee and local organisers – and said he would travel to Italy later this week with NHL and NHL Players' Association officials for a test event. “I'm confident about the quality of the infrastructure,” he said, adding that he would have preferred more certainty. Meanwhile, the league and the players' association have reminded the IIHF that they expect standard NHL-sized ice at the 2030 Olympics in France.
