The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics are already on thin ice, and the games haven’t even started. With a staggering $25.5 million invested in one piece of infrastructure and only 50 days to go, officials are banking on that new infrastructure for the production of artificial snow to deliver a world-class event. But a critical piece of that plan has already hit a major snag, casting doubt on the organizers’ readiness.

The infrastructure in question is the Monte Sponda reservoir in Livigno engineered to store 203,000 cubic meters of water to produce artificial snow. But just two weeks after local officials proudly marked its readiness with a prominent inspection, the entire system has come to a standstill owing to a big technical failure.

Organizers have confirmed this week, as reported by France 24, that a “technical problem with the water supply system” for the snow cannons in Livigno has halted snow production, which was set to commence last week.

The venue nestled in the Italian Alps is set to be the stage for all snowboard and freestyle skiing competitions, with a total of 26 gold medals up for grabs. “In 72 hours, we immediately resolved the issue and testing is currently underway to restart the system, and we will resume snow production in the coming days,”  stated the organizing committee.

Despite attempts to reach out, SiMiCo, the firm tasked with constructing the reservoir, chose not to provide any comments to media outlets. This recent setback comes in the wake of escalating apprehension among international sports federations.

Michel Vion, the secretary general of the International Ski Federation (FIS), expressed concerns in early December regarding “significant delays” at the Livigno venue. “We are still a bit concerned because the need for snow is significant for these disciplines,” Vion remarked. He underscored that artificial snow is not merely a luxury; rather, it is essential for constructing the compact, durable features, jumps, and halfpipes that are crucial for elite competition.

“If we want to guarantee that the Games will be held properly, we need more than just natural snow,”  Vion stated. Nonetheless, a multitude of issues continues to accumulate in the lead-up to the Winter Olympics.

One Winter Olympics venue still isn’t ready

The trouble in Livigno is not an isolated incident in the final run-up to the Games, which begin on February 6. The construction of the 16,000-seat Santa Giulia ice hockey arena in Milan is experiencing considerable delays, with progress lagging well behind the original timeline. The delays reached such critical levels that a scheduled under-20 World Championship test event for December was forced to be relocated.

Luc Tardif, the president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, conveyed his serious concerns to Radio Canada, highlighting that the limited testing period heightens the likelihood of technical issues arising during the Olympics. “The facilities in Milan are not up to the standard of the event we are going to present,” Tardif remarked.

The circumstances are notably sensitive, given that the IIHF has exerted considerable effort to facilitate the return of NHL players to the Olympics for the first time since 2014. Even the rink is set to measure approximately 197 feet in length, falling just short of the standard 200-foot NHL rink, as noted by NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly.

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“I think the IIHF was under the impression they had a different interpretation of what NHL ice meant than we would have. Even at the site visits I’m not sure it was anything that was perceptible to anybody. It’s not like people bring tape measures there. So, for whatever reason, it came back the way it came back,” he remarked.

Furthermore, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has expressed this as “disappointing,” regarding the slow progress of construction, highlighting that facilities for previous Winter Olympics were never this far from completion at this stage. Only time will reveal whether they can resolve all issues in time for the highly anticipated event.