About 5,000 rooms would be needed in Whistler, of which 3,000 will be used by the media, said Terry Wright, executive vice president of service operations and ceremonies for the Vancouver Olympic Games Organizing Committee.

To date, 4,000 rooms have been secured and another 600 have been tentatively agreed to.

"We have broken the back of that problem," John Furlong, VANOC's chief executive officer, told a news conference.

Finding enough beds in Whistler, site of the skiing and sliding events during the Games, was one of the issues the IOC commission addressed during three days of meetings.

Rene Fasel, the coordination commission chairman, said he's pleased with the progress made by VANOC.

He shrugged off questions about recent protests against the Games in Vancouver by anti-poverty activists, who say they're too costly. The Olympic flag in front of Vancouver's city hall was stolen on Tuesday.

"Canada is a free country," Fasel said. "You cannot expect 100 percent of people are supporting the Olympics