Last Wednesday, the news agency AP wrote that a planned test event, B-World Championship on the junior side, has been moved to the smaller Olympic Games arena as the work on the main arena Santagiulia Arena is taking longer than expected.
The tournament is played in December, just under two months before the start of the Olympic Games tournament.
In an interview with The Athletic, NHL boss Gary Bettman says that there is a concern about the delay. NHL players are back in Olympic Games ice hockey for the first time since Sochi 2014.
We have felt a concern for the past two years, but it is the IOC's responsibility. We come there as guests, but they know about our concern and we expect that it will go well with everything they have promised and that it will be an arena that from a competition perspective is first-class, says Bettman.
”Remains a lot”
The Swedish Ice Hockey Association's chairman Anders Larsson also sits on the International Ice Hockey Federation's board and says that he has received ongoing updates on the construction.
I have received reports on several occasions on how the arena construction and building are progressing, and one can conclude that there is still a lot left, but the organization assures that it will be completed, he says.
The International Olympic Committee, IOC, says in a statement to The Athletic that a test event will instead be held in early January.
It is extremely important to be able to play a test event and see that the arena works, emphasizes Anders Larsson.
No question marks
The IOC claims that there are no question marks as to whether the arena will be completed on time for the Olympic Games.
”We have the greatest confidence that the ice hockey tournaments will be played in a world-class arena and will offer an exceptional Olympic experience for everyone.”
The women's Olympic Games tournament is played from February 5 to 19 and the men's tournament is decided between February 11 and 22.
