Sydney was awarded the right to host the Games of the XXVII Olympiad by a vote of the members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Monte Carlo on 23 September 1993. Up to 10 200 athletes and approximately 5 100 technical officials from 200 countries are expected to participate in the Sydney 2000 Games. Approximately 15 000 media representatives from around the world are expected to come to Sydney, covering the Games for a worldwide audience of around 4 billion people. The Games have been called the 'Green Olympics', and all aspects of construction and operation were required to give consideration to any environmental impact that might occur. The development of the site and infrastructure for the Games is the responsibility of the Olympic Co-ordination Authority (OCA), set up by the New South Wales state government. All building materials to be used in the construction of Olympic facilities were evaluated by a panel reporting to the OCA called the Construction Materials Expert Advisory Panel (CMEAP). Around April or May 1996, Greenpeace Australia presented a briefing paper to the OCA titled Timber Treatment and Availability. The Greenpeace Australia document made unsubstantiated claims which were factually wrong, and, in some cases, the paper admitted that the author's knowledge was incomplete. The Greenpeace Australia document attacked the timber treatment industry on a number of issues: the use of non-sustainable forest resources; the use of toxic and hazardous chemicals; environmentally dangerous timber treatment practices; and inappropriate waste disposal practices. After responding to the Greenpeace Australia document, the Timber Preservers' Association of Australia, through its local New South Wales representatives, were invited to make a number of presentations to the CMEAP. To date, there have been decisions taken to use specific wood preservatives for particular jobs, and not to use others in the construction processes. For example, CCA treatment chemicals may not be used in the Olympic village, where as Light Organic Solvent Preservatives (LOSP) and other copper-based formulations are approved for use, eg. ACQ. This paper provides some of the original arguments put to the CMEAP. We also address the Australian industry's response to some of the Greenpeace Australia statements, and set down our perspective on the safe use of treated timber in an environmentally sensitive project, as highlighted by the Sydney Olympic Games.

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