International Olympic Committee (IOC) sports director Pierre Ducrey said that the main hall of Santa Giulia in Milan will be ready for the start of the Olympic hockey tournament. According to him, there is no chance that the stadium would not be ready, AFP reported.
Local developers are still working to complete the arena, however organizers have assured participants that the situation is under control. According to them, the remaining works are only “finishing”.
On Friday, a simulated match before the Olympic Games was played in the hall. The duel between the teams of Kaltern and Varese had to be stopped for a while during the first period when a huge hole was formed in the ice in front of one of the goals.
From Friday to Sunday, a test takes place in the arena in the form of Italian Cup and Super Cup matches.
Overseas journalist Chris Johnston was present at the meeting and provided interesting information through his X network profile. He also informed that only three dressing rooms from the 14th are completely finished.
It will be the first five-ring hockey tournament with the participation of overseas NHL players since 2014. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly warned last December that the professional league would not release players if the stadium was not completed.
“I’m sure they’ll be here. We’re in for something exciting. We’re very happy they’re coming back. It’s been a lot of work by a lot of people to make it happen, you’re going to have NHL players here in February and it’s going to be amazing,” Ducrey countered to Daly about a month later.
