An Olympic atmosphere pervaded the Milano Speed Skating Stadium on November 29th and 30th. The Rho Fiera ice rink hosted the Junior Speed Skating World Cup. The test event went perfectly, and this fantastic venue is now ready to host the world's best speed skating athletes. "The Milan-Cortina 2026 Games organizing committee was delighted. However, it cannot say the same for the Santa Giulia ice rink, whose construction is causing tension two months before the opening.
A test event less than four weeks before the Olympics
Construction of the 16.000-seat arena has fallen behind schedule. Significantly so. As a result, the U20 World Championship, which was supposed to serve as a test event this December, has been moved elsewhere. We won't have the necessary testing or sufficient time to adapt in case of technical problems, which is a concern for us. The facilities in Milan are not up to the standard of the event we are going to present. ", pointed out Luc Tardif, president of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), to Radio Canada. " There were many challenges to overcome to allow NHL players to return to the Olympics, including the financial impact and insurance issues, and we succeeded. But the only thing that concerns us is the facilities in Milan. »
The IIHF worked tirelessly to convince the NHL to release its players, a first since Sochi 2014. It hopes to initiate a cycle with the French Alps in 2030, and of course, Utah in 2034. The success of the Italian experiment would be a strong argument in favor of this, but questions remain. The NHL sent representatives to Milan to assess the progress of the construction and reiterate the stakes. The outlook has brightened somewhat in recent days with the announcement that the Arena will host the Final Four of the Italian Championship and Cup from January 9th to 11th. There will indeed be a test event, less than four weeks before the start of the women's Olympic tournament on February 5th.
Other concerns in Livigno and Cortina
In recent weeks, Italy has heavily emphasized the success of the Eugenio Monti ski center in Cortina, which has already hosted its first official competition. Simico also announced the recent completion of the Bormio roundabout: designed to improve access to the ski area and optimize traffic flow at a key point in the road network, it represents " one of the most important legacies of the 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games According to the press release of November 28.
Good news quickly overshadowed by concerns surrounding the Milan ice rink. 580 workers are on site to ensure it is delivered on time, according to the developer EVENTIM. Frenchman Michel Vion, Secretary General of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), also pointed to the delays in Livigno at the freestyle events venue. There are quite a few delays with the artificial snow system, which is not yet finalized.he told AFP. We are still a little worried because the need for snow is important for these disciplines (…) If we want to guarantee proper Games, we need not only natural snow, we also need artificial snow to consolidate the more compact, wetter snow. »
Another point of contention is the Apollonio-Socrepes cable car. Construction began in July, and the project is intended to transport up to 2.400 passengers per hour to Cortina, particularly to the Olimpia delle Tofane, the course for the women's alpine skiing events. However, organizers fear it will not be operational in time and have therefore decided to block some tickets for the events scheduled in Cortina. The pressure is immense.
