Milan Cortina Winter Games Face Crunch Time as Main Ice Hockey Arena Stalls on Schedule
A stark warning has been issued by the organizers of the Milan Cortina Winter Games: if the main ice hockey arena isn't ready on time, there will be no Plan B. Andrea Francisi, chief games operations officer for the event, bluntly stated that there is "no plan B" as construction continues to fall behind schedule.
The Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, which will host NHL players and Olympic events for the first time in over a decade, has already had its test events pushed back. The initial test event was moved, and new test dates are now scheduled for 9-11 January – just days before the actual start of the competition.
Francisi emphasized that any mistakes at the arena would have serious consequences. "So necessarily we have to be able to organize the competition in an impeccable manner at Santagiulia," he said, underscoring the pressure to get everything right.
Typically, new Olympic venues undergo extensive testing at least a year before hosting events. However, for a large hockey arena like Santagiulia, this process is even more complex, involving not just ice preparation but also concession stands, bathrooms, and every other aspect of the venue.
Francisi acknowledged that there's no fixed completion date for the venue handover to local organizers but expressed confidence in the current pace. "There are daily updates... our team is working every day," he said, citing close collaboration with the construction companies involved.
While optimism prevails, any miscalculation could have disastrous consequences for the event. The men's Olympic hockey tournament runs from 11-22 February, while the women's tournament takes place from 5-19 February – both events are crucial to the overall success of the Winter Games.
A stark warning has been issued by the organizers of the Milan Cortina Winter Games: if the main ice hockey arena isn't ready on time, there will be no Plan B. Andrea Francisi, chief games operations officer for the event, bluntly stated that there is "no plan B" as construction continues to fall behind schedule.
The Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, which will host NHL players and Olympic events for the first time in over a decade, has already had its test events pushed back. The initial test event was moved, and new test dates are now scheduled for 9-11 January – just days before the actual start of the competition.
Francisi emphasized that any mistakes at the arena would have serious consequences. "So necessarily we have to be able to organize the competition in an impeccable manner at Santagiulia," he said, underscoring the pressure to get everything right.
Typically, new Olympic venues undergo extensive testing at least a year before hosting events. However, for a large hockey arena like Santagiulia, this process is even more complex, involving not just ice preparation but also concession stands, bathrooms, and every other aspect of the venue.
Francisi acknowledged that there's no fixed completion date for the venue handover to local organizers but expressed confidence in the current pace. "There are daily updates... our team is working every day," he said, citing close collaboration with the construction companies involved.
While optimism prevails, any miscalculation could have disastrous consequences for the event. The men's Olympic hockey tournament runs from 11-22 February, while the women's tournament takes place from 5-19 February – both events are crucial to the overall success of the Winter Games.
. I mean, an ice hockey arena is supposed to be ready in like 3 weeks? That's not even enough time for a test event, let alone all the other stuff that needs to be checked out. What if they don't find any issues on time? What's their plan B (which doesn't exist, apparently)? I get it, it's complex and takes longer than usual, but you can't rush a build of this scale without risking something going wrong.
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The whole thing feels like a ticking time bomb. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that everything comes together in the end though 
I mean, I've been following this whole Milan Cortina Winter Games thing for ages and now it seems like everything is just falling apart... literally! The ice hockey arena is supposed to be ready by now but it's still not done 
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. But what's really concerning is that there's no fixed completion date for the venue handover... how will they ensure that everything is ready on time? 
. I guess only time will tell if they can pull this off, but my gut feeling is that things might get pretty messy 
That's a lot of pressure on one venue. What if something goes wrong during the games? The whole thing could fall apart 
I hope they can get everything sorted out in time, but it's hard to feel optimistic when you look at the schedule 
Those test dates are just days away and there's still so much work to be done 
the pressure on the Milan Cortina Winter Games organizers is pretty intense right now. a main ice hockey arena stalling on schedule? that's a recipe for disaster, especially when you're dealing with high-profile events like Olympic competitions. it's not just about getting the ice rink ready, but also the concession stands, bathrooms, and all that jazz... it's a whole production. 
my friend's cousin works with construction and he said it's crazy how tight the schedule is... anyway, gotta keep fingers crossed for Cortina Winter Games! 
. Let's hope the organizers can get their act together ASAP! 
I'm keeping my fingers crossed they can get everything sorted out before the games start, but that Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena better be ice-ready in no time! 
And what about the test events being pushed back too? It's already January and the actual competition starts in February... what if something major goes wrong with the arena? The pressure is on, I get it, but you can't put all your eggs in one basket 
. And can we talk about how crazy it is that they're rushing this thing like there's no tomorrow? Test events are getting pushed back and now they're expecting everything to be perfect by January? That's just a recipe for disaster 
. I think they need to be more realistic about their timeline and maybe even consider a contingency plan just in case 
!