Officials with Kentucky’s tourism department say they gave away Olympic tickets worth more than $31,000 after canceling plans to send a delegation. The state's 20 tickets were nonrefundable and couldn't easily be resold under Olympics rules. So tourism officials gave them to two British tour companies that sometimes do business in Kentucky. Kentucky Tourism Department spokesperson Gil Lawson says the state had a contractual obligation to buy the tickets from Gosh P.R. Shortly after canceling the trip, the state canceled its $179,000 annual contract with the company. Tourism Commissioner Mike Cooper resigned because of ethics violations involving Gosh P.R.