Dirty But Vibrant - Olympic Ice Hockey Arena Opens After Race Against Time

Beset by delays, concerns and last-minute building works, nan Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena yet opened its doors to nan Olympics connected Thursday.

And while, arsenic nan International Olympic Committee admitted, it was not wholly fresh for its opening game, nan arena was successful a overmuch amended authorities than it had been when BBC Sport visited 5 days prior.

The 11,800-capacity stadium was astir afloat for nan Group B lucifer betwixt Italy and Olympic debutants France, won 4-1 by nan big nation.

On nan Saturday earlier nan fixture, we recovered a frantic building site, pinch building materials and particulate wrong and extracurricular nan stadium.

Rubbish littered nan floor, lifts and toilets were covered successful integrative wraps and galore areas of nan arena, including hospitality boxes arsenic good arsenic nutrient and portion stalls, were unfinished.

Christophe Dubi, nan International Olympic Committee's executive head for nan Olympic Games, admitted connected Sunday: "Do we person each azygous abstraction successful that venue finished? No. And is everything successful that venue needed [for nan matches to return place]? No."

Returning connected nan greeting of nan first crippled - astir 3 hours earlier face-off - we recovered nan piles of rubble and building materials gone from nan concourses wrong and out.

Not each nan amenities were rather ready, pinch merchandise stalls being built and posters still to beryllium put up. This is conscionable complete 3 hours earlier nan opening match.

Inside nan arena, 1 broadside of nan stadium was simply a large achromatic wall. This houses impermanent stands connected apical of what will yet beryllium a shape for concerts, and was expected to characteristic ample boards pinch Olympic branding.

In nan stands, it was very dusty and dirty. The arena had nan consciousness of a caller build, vanished successful a hurry without overmuch spit and polish.

And astir nan stadium, it is an existent building site. The arena stands virtually unsocial successful wasteland, 25 minutes' locomotion from nan nearest metro position and pinch nary amenities, barring a car park, nearby. Bella Italia this is not.