The Olympics are about to start … and the hockey arena is still

MILAN — On June 24, 2019, the International Olympic Committee voted to award Italy the right to host the 2026 Winter Games.

Nearly 2,500 days later, the Italians are still frantically racing to complete the arena that will host the most anticipated Olympic ice hockey competition in over a decade.

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Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena remained an active construction site on Wednesday, just 24 hours before the venue is scheduled to open its doors to the public for a women’s hockey game between France and Italy. At the same time as the French men’s team practiced on the ice, construction crews and arena workers scrambled to finish 11th-hour projects on the concourse or to remove dust and debris created by recently finished ones.

Men in orange construction vests were busy building a merchandise stand in one section of the concourse. Arena staffers in dark blue Milano Cortina 2026 jackets scrubbed layers of dust off stanchions that will soon be used to direct the flow of crowds. Elsewhere, workers scraped and spackled walls, stocked concession stands and set up portable tables and signage. The beeping of forklifts and the smell of fresh paint constantly assaulted the senses.

Even areas of the arena that are ready for the public had the feeling that they were completed only days ago. Manufacturing labels adorned every sink in one bathroom. Messages scribbled on post-it notes or painters tape hung from doors. Large wires poked out of walls, shoes left footprints in construction dust and paint splatter was visible on walls and floors.

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Thankfully, the seating bowl as a whole and the playing surface in particular appear to be in far better shape. That’s why Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi felt comfortable reassuring reporters earlier this week that he’s “absolutely certain” the venue will be ready in time.

“One…