With only two months left until the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, the world’s top athletes are locked in and ready. But while athletes prepare for Italy, the organizers are stuck in turbulence. Venues are still unfinished, safety checks are lagging, and ticket sales are far from reassuring. Instead of a triumphant countdown, the Winter Games are staring at a storm.

More than 1.5 million Olympic tickets are still without buyers, leaving organizers with a worrying surplus. With the beginning of the torch relay this Saturday, sales have only inched past 850,000 so far. What’s more concerning is the trend in the data: international fans are purchasing far more tickets than Italians, raising questions about local engagement for one of Italy’s biggest sporting events in years.

While speaking to The Associated Press, local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier expressed, “That’s normal. The local fans get interested closer, and I think the beginning of the torch relay will be a very important moment for people realizing that.”

Last week’s Black Friday offer included a three-day, 20% discount on tickets, plus an added benefit for buyers of Olympic and Paralympic tickets: access to Lombardy ski lift passes for $9, valid from December 9 to 22. This week, additional tickets were released for two key events: the February 6 opening ceremony at San Siro and the men’s hockey gold-medal game on February 22 in Milan.

“We had some tickets on the market a couple of days ago, and they were sold out in just a couple of hours. So there is interest,” said Varnier.

The previous Winter Olympics in Beijing in 2022 unfolded under the shadow of COVID-19, creating a tense atmosphere and leaving venues with almost no spectators. Despite that history, Varnier noted a positive shift this year, highlighting that sales at the newly launched Milano-Cortina official store, situated right in front of Piazza del Duomo, have been particularly strong.

“People are really going in and buying our merchandise, which is also a good sign,” he noted.

But while the ticket sales are a pressing issue, there’s another one that’s been making the headlines for a while now: the Cortina Sliding Centre and Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.

The Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics faces another threat

With a projected cost of $137.4 million, the Cortina Sliding Centre forms a part of the $3.96 billion that the country has allocated for the Olympic infrastructure. However, when the centre was announced, it faced scrutiny from the outset, especially after the IOC recommended using already-built tracks in Austria or Switzerland to curb expenses and avoid construction delays.

And that’s where things stand; authorities maintain the project will be ready on schedule, yet concerns over timely completion refuse to fade. “The quality of the ice has been optimal. With the roof in place and moveable shades that can be shifted, the sun never shines on the ice,” said Fabio Saldini, the Italian government commissioner.

That isn’t the only setback. The PalaItalia Santa Giulia Ice Hockey Arena, a newly built, 16,000-seat facility on Milan’s outskirts, also ran into delays. A test event planned for next week has now been postponed to January.

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“We knew about the delays of the hockey arena, and we are working with it, but now we are following the right pace. It has to be ready,” said Varnier.

“It is quite an effort. It’s the first time ever. It’s a very important message to have the athletes also staying in the mountain villages to be able to participate in the ceremony. This was very well received by the NOCs [National Olympic Committees]. Also, the communities are very happy to have a piece of the ceremonies in their towns,” he continued.

The issues are worrying but not uncommon before major events. If construction proceeds as planned, the Milano-Cortina Games should stay on track.