The Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, the official hockey venue for the upcoming Winter Olympic Games, has been shrouded with nothing but controversy. Earlier in December 2025, it faced logistical and construction issues, and it gained the wrong kind of attention from fans and unimpressed NHL officials. But a month later, it looks like their concerns were not unfounded.

The women’s hockey games are scheduled to start on February 5, but just yesterday, during the first-ever test at the arena, troubles began to emerge. On X, Chris Johnston reported: “The first Olympic test event at Santagiuliana Arena is being delayed because there’s a giant hole in the ice. They brought out a watering can to try and patch it.”

Before the Games begin, the organizers must conduct a series of tests to ensure the quality of the ice. But the problems were immediate when the test was conducted during a match between the Kaltern Caldaro Rothoblaas and HCMV Varese Hockey, who were playing the Coppa Italia semifinals. Johnston further explained the issue after talking to a player on-site.

“In the interest of fairness, I spoke with @fwieser55 after the game and he said this was a ‘little hole.’ The players were told this is normal with brand new ice,” the NHL insider said, replying to the same social media post. The player that Johnston talked to was Florian Wieser.

“Clarification about the ice conditions at Santa Giulia Arena: Was the ice perfect? No, it was on the softer side and the small hole was of course a bad look. But we expected much worse and the ice didn’t affect the game negatively.” he said.

“I had the chance to speak with the responsible for the ice,  he said that the ice quality is going to be no problem, ice quality will improve drastically when people are skating on it and when the ventilation starts to work in the next days.”

However, apart from that single hole that appeared on the ice, there were other issues surrounding the entire hockey arena. The planned audience of 14,000 was forced down to just 11,800, as the staff ran out of time to finish it. The building also has unpainted drywall, unfinished concrete floors, and holes in the exterior, making it difficult for to maintain the optimal internal temperature.

With less than a month left until the actual Games start, organizers don’t have much time on their hands. They will need to speed up their work while ensuring the quality of the event. Similar concerns were even raised by the NHL commissioner, who shared his own thoughts on this entire hockey arena situation a few days ago.

The NHL commissioner was left disappointed by the preparations for the Winter Olympic Games

In a conversation with NHL on TNT, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman discussed the current situation surrounding the Winter Olympic Games, saying, “You know, the International Olympic Committee and the International Ice Hockey Federation are responsible for what’s going to go on at the Olympics. It makes me… Not that I’m a control freak. But turning our game and our players over to a third party.”

So, the NHL will be pausing its season once the Winter Olympic Games start. The reason? Well, a lot of its players are participating in the event. Bettman also cleared his feelings over the logistical mess that the venue has been:

“You know, let’s just say I would have been happier if they were testing the ice and finishing the rink a year ago or six months ago. Not doing it now with 35 days to go to the start of the Olympics.”

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The NHL commissioner was serious about this entire arena situation from the start. Even though the NHL players are returning to the Olympic rink after 14 years, he was clear with his words that if the conditions were not appropriate, they would not let their players play due to safety reasons.

Well, with just a few days remaining, only time will tell if the arena situation will be improved to meet the standards that are expected from an Olympic venue.