as of Today, February 1st 2023 in Milan...
the most credited Italian Wintersports journalists/commentator, Massimiliano "Max" Ambesi, took a tour of the 2 sites in the city of Milan where the 2 Hockey arenas should be built.
here is what he found out and wrote about that.
the photos are only about the place where the "small" Hockey arena should be in place in less than 3 years (it's an abandoned area where previously a basketball/volleyball/concerts center then a circus used to be), there are no pictures of the area where the main hall should be built.
this is a quick translation (made with google translate...you know, I'm lazy and I didn't want to wast too much time ) of Ambesi's post.
"(Earlier) this morning, I went to Lampugnano, a "charming"* Milanese district where one of the ice arenas to host the hockey matches of the upcoming 2026 Olympic Games should be built.
The cross-section I came across turned out to be bleak.
Rodents and dirt aside, not only has the old structure not yet been demolished, but there is not even the slightest shadow of a construction site.
Furthermore, there is no indication on site relating to the Olympic destination of the area, but, from what has been learned, thanks to some shortcomings with respect to the legitimate requests of the IOC, a definitive project has not yet been approved.
The only positive note is represented by the proximity to the subway stop and a busy terminus of interregional bus lines.
Rather perplexed by what I observed, I set off in the direction of Milan Santa Giulia, hoping that works on the new Palazzo dello Sport with almost twenty thousand seats had already begun.
Thanks to lucky coincidences with the various subway lines, the transfer took less than 50 minutes, all in all a positive fact.
In this case, despite the fact that the long pedestrian area between the Rogoredo station and the Sports Arena area has been completed for some time now, the foundation stone of the facility is far from being laid yet and, with the exception of the fence of the vast area, the works still appear to be at a standstill.
Considering that in 2025, both structures will have to be put to the test with the ritual test competitions, in jargon "test event", time runs the risk of running out, it being understood that, as far as Lampugnano is concerned, ideas appear rather confused.
In light of the situation, those in charge will have to be ready as well as educated because, sooner or later, the generalist press will begin to ask a long series of questions and it will be necessary to provide all the necessary explanations.
All that remains is to cross your fingers and hope for a happy ending.
In the meantime, Turin remains at the window…
The invitation is to share the post so that the situation can become public knowledge.
Massimiliano Ambesi"
*"charming" applied to that district must be intended as pure sarcasm...that area is everything but "charming".