A report by the provincial government says B.C. spent $970,000 on Olympic tickets for politicians, dignitaries, business leaders and members of the public.

The report says just over half of the 4,600 Olympic tickets the provincial government bought were used to host dignitaries and business leaders at the Games.

It says another 43 per cent were handed out to members of the public through contests and other means, while three per cent were used by cabinet ministers and MLAs as part of their hosting duties.

The report says the B.C. government spent a total of $2.7 million on its Olympic hosting program.

That includes $970,000 for tickets, $644,000 for rent and catering at the B.C. Pavilion, and $493,000 for rent and catering at the Terminal City Club.

The report also shows Premier Gordon Campbell was the only B.C. politician to get a free ticket to the men's gold-medal hockey game.

Others who went to the game were a number of VANOC board members, Olympians, business leaders and entertainers.

The report says under the government's business hosting program, guests got tickets to 90 sporting events and took part in almost 80 bilateral meetings.

It says about 1,000 companies from outside B.C. took part in the program, which was intended to foster business connections and lure new investment to B.C.

With files from The Canadian Press