TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Artificial intelligence helped maintain the conditions of the ice at figure skating and short track test events held last month in Milan, a year before the 2026 Winter Olympics.

According to the local organizing committee, AI analyzed the collected data and kept the ice in the right conditions after humidity and ice temperature were monitored by sensors installed around the rink.

"The ice was just right, not too hard or too soft," Japanese figure skater Sota Yamamoto said after competing at the Ice Skating Arena, the venue for the Milan-Cortina Olympics.

The venue, with a very high ceiling, opened its doors to the public in 1990 and usually stages events such as concerts and basketball games.

It hosted the world figure skating championships in 2018.

"It's a very big venue with a sense of openness," Yamamoto said.

The venue will likely house about 6,700 spectators during the Olympics, the organizing committee said.

During the games, there are days when figure skating and short track speed skating are held on the same day.

The thickness of the ice is slightly different, more than 5 centimeters for figure skating and less than 5 cm for short track, but the latest cooling equipment allows a switch between them in a short period of time.