MILAN (AP) — The first game of the Olympic Games in Milan’s Cortina was played on a new hockey rink Thursday and required a last-minute rush to finish.
The women’s match between hosts Italy and France follows a series of tests at the Santa Giulia Hockey Arena in Milan, followed by several days of practice on brand new ice. Early last week, ice guru Don Moffatt was worried about whether he would be ready in time for the Olympics.
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Although a rubber mat remained on one side of the ice until about 20 minutes before pregame warmups, years of scrutiny and concerns about construction delays were not evident in the seating bowl.
It was business as usual for the Zamboni team and stadium operations staff, and fans filed into the stands. Many of the seats were installed only in the past few months, but even so, seating capacity was reduced to 11,600 from the original planned 14,700.
In the lobby, it was obvious that some corners had to be cut to get the job done, but the concession stand was still open and the chaos and construction that had been going on Wednesday was gone.
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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
