The Olympic organizing committee admitted that a lot of work remains to be done to prepare the hockey arena

The Santa Giulia hockey arena in Milan, where matches of the 2026 Olympic Games are to be held, requires improvement, said Andrea Varnier, general director of the Olympic organizing committee.

On Friday, the test match at the Santa Giulia Arena was stopped due to serious problems with the ice. The meeting, in which the Kaltern and Varese teams took part, had to be interrupted when a hole appeared in the ice. The arena staff doused her with water.

“We knew for a long time that this was one of the most difficult objects that we had to work with, because we understood that its construction would begin at a late stage. We know there is still a lot of work to be done at the site, but the large team is once again working at full capacity to ensure that the site will be ready for the start of the Games.

We must remember that this is the first time the players have stepped onto this ice. This is not a common situation. The ice was in excellent condition and getting better every day. We are confident that the ice will be perfectly prepared for the start of the Games,” The Athletic quotes Warnier as saying.

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly previously admitted that league players may refuse to compete at the Olympics in Italy due to the poor quality of the ice in the arena.

The women’s Olympic hockey tournament starts on February 5, the men’s on February 11.