Kisaturists, pay attention! One thing is causing big problems at the Olympics - "This is how it is in Italy"

MILANO. There is only one day left until the Olympics begin.

A lot has been done and there is still much to do. Naisleijonat will play the tournament largely in the temporary hall set up in the vast exhibition center area of Milan, the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena, which is located in the Milano Ice Park competition area.

On Tuesday, during the Naisleijonat’s practice, the hall was still quite in a state of flux. Head coach Tero Lehterä said in an interview with SuomiKiekko that the ice was good and that everything was working from the team’s perspective. That’s good, as that is the main thing.

From the media and spectators’ perspective, not everything is functioning yet. I entered the hall through a door that I shouldn’t have been able to access. I ended up in an area where the media and spectators are not supposed to go and wandered for a while in the labyrinth of temporary plywood walls and pipe stands.

That’s still minor. A significantly larger problem is the distance of the hall from the nearest metro station.

The metro and train network in Milan is comprehensive in itself, but competition tourists should take into account how much time it takes to travel.

I live near the city center, and the first time the journey from the hotel to the hall took an hour and a half.

The M1 metro line does take you to Rho Fieramilano (the final stop). The problem is that it is still quite a distance to the hall from there. You should allocate at least 20 minutes for walking, as the hall is built at the opposite end of the exhibition center area from where the metro station is.

And that 20 minutes can quickly double if you head in the wrong direction at the metro station or otherwise do not take the most direct route. On the way from the metro station to the hall, I saw several – presumably media representatives – who were trying to find the right route. The situation was not made any easier by the fact that the most direct route to the hall according to the metro station signs was still closed and under construction.

On Tuesday, I spoke with the volunteers. An older gentleman kindly pointed out the right direction from the metro station.

– I am also here testing how long this walking distance takes,” he said.

Another volunteer in the media area of the hall praised the metro network but cursed the competition organization’s decision regarding the placement of the competition arenas.

– The metro goes everywhere else but not here to the hall. This is how it is in Italy, he said.

According to the same volunteer, the metros run until two o’clock at night. It’s good to remember that too.

Jaakko Perttilä
X: @JaakkoPerttila