About a month before the start of the Winter Olympics Milan The Santa Giulia main hall for the ice hockey tournaments caused problems again. During the opening of the hall by an Italian Cup game on Friday evening, a hole opened in the ice. The game then had to be interrupted for around five minutes before the damage could be repaired. It was part of a three-day event in which the Olympic organizers want to test the processes in the new stadium.
The arena can accommodate 15,300 fans, but currently only 4,000 are allowed because construction work is still taking place. The completion of the hall had been repeatedly delayed. Workers are at work in the stands, cables are on the floor, scaffolding tubes are visible. The changing rooms are also not yet finished.
According to Pierre Ducrey, sports director at the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the arena will be completed by the start of the competitions in February. In response to a request from the AFP news agency, the organizers said that the hall was structurally completed and that only “the final touches” remained.
Ice measurements in Milan differ from standards
Players from the US ice hockey league NHL will take part in the Winter Games for the first time since 2014. Recently there was excitement after it was announced that the ice surface, at 60 by 26 meters, was smaller than what had been agreed between the NHL, the International Ice Hockey Federation and the International Olympic Committee. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly then threatened that the athletes would not play if the ice was unsafe.
However, Don Moffatt of the Colorado Avalanche, who is jointly responsible for the ice in Milan, said he was satisfied with the playing surface and that such teething problems could occur.
The Winter Olympics run from February 6th to 22nd. Milan prevailed over Stockholm in the decision about the venue, which may also be due to the support of the population: In Italy, in a survey at the time, 83 percent were in favor of Milan’s candidacy. However, only 55 percent of Swedes surveyed expressed their support for Stockholm’s application.
