The International Olympic Committee declared Wednesday that it was “extremely happy” with the work done by the Vancouver Olympic Committee, and promised further financial support for the cash-strapped 2010 Winter Games.

A group of female ski jumpers have said they will appeal a court ruling that dismissed their bid to force Olympic organisers to let them compete in next year’s Winter Games in Vancouver.

WestJet Airlines has announced it will expand its service to Kamloops and Sun Peaks with a Vancouver flight connection beginning November 1, 2009. The new service will have WestJet departing Kamloops at 10:45am each morning, arriving at Vancouver International Airport at 11:41am. For golfers and skiers heading to Sun Peaks, the flight leaves Vancouver at 12:30pm, arriving in Kamloops at 1:19pm.

You’re not too late. This stunning British Columbia city, along with its alpine sister to the north, Whistler, will host the 2010 Winter Olympics in February. Yes, most tickets are gone. Most rooms are booked. Most fans have made their plans. But the biggest event this town has ever seen still has room for more visitors.

Eight snow competitions in the 2010 Winter Olympics will take place in the mountain ski resort of Whistler, two hours north of the comparatively balmy Vancouver. “We represent the winter experience,” says Breton Murphy of Tourism Whistler.

Call it home-field disadvantage. The Canadian alpine team has learned the number of skiers it can enter at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics has been slashed by more than a third under a complicated new quota formula established by the International Ski Federation (FIS). Instead of the 22 spots expected, Canada can only have 14 skiers in Vancouver. The powerhouse Austrians have 22 spots, as do Switzerland, France and Italy, while the U.S. has 20.