Milan’s unfinished Santa Giulia Arena races to be ready for the Olympics

With less than a month until the Winter Olympics, Milan’s Santa Giulia Arena remains an active construction site even as it prepares to host Olympic ice hockey. At a recent test event two levels of the 15,300-seat venue were closed off, rows of seats concealed by black plastic, paint splattered floors, construction dust on railings, exposed wires and digital scoreboards not yet installed.

The first hockey players arrived on the ice 28 days before the opening ceremony; the I.O.C.’s ice engineer, Art Sutherland, said, “This one was a bit tight.” A hole opened in the ice during the first match, which Sutherland described as common on newly laid ice and easily fixed. The situation has drawn particular attention because National Hockey League players are expected to take part; Bill Daly, the N.H.L.

deputy commissioner, warned the league would pull out “if the ice is not safe or is not ready.” After the weekend matches, the N.H.L. and its players’ association called the event “a good trial run.” Daly added, “There are still things that need to be done there,” and said, “I fully anticipate” the Olympic matches “will take place.” Ice maker Don Moffatt said he could not get a Zamboni onto the rink until two days before the test because a ramp was incomplete, but he expects the rink to be “100 percent ready to go” while postponing some final steps that are normally finished months earlier.

Key Topics

Sports, Santa Giulia Arena, Milan, Milan-cortina Olympics, National Hockey League, Bill Daly