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British Columbia wood will share the spotlight with the world’s best athletes thanks to 23 stunning podiums built from timber donated by communities, First Nations, and businesses from across the Province, Premier Gordon Campbell announced today.

"Built from wood donated by communities, First Nations, businesses and individuals across the province, each one of these podiums has a story to tell about the people and places that make up British Columbia and about the forest industry that is the heart of so much of our culture and history,"said Premier Campbell. "We hope all the athletes feel this connection and are inspired by this close connection to the people of British Columbia when they step up to receive their medals on these incredible platforms."

The podiums are built from one of 18 different wood types. The wood for each podium was harvested from a specific area or community, which makes it easy to link the specific podiums to the people and communities that provided the wood. For example, the podium that will be used at Whistler Creekside for Alpine Skiing events is built from Western Red Cedar harvested in the Revelstoke Community Forest.

"We asked British Columbians to donate wood for the podium construction and the response was overwhelming," said Forests and Range Minister Pat Bell. "It is clear that our communities take great pride in their local forests and are eager to share the Spirit of 2010 with the rest of the world."

The wood podiums highlight the importance of forestry in British Columbia. The province is a global leader in sustainable forest management and the world’s largest exporter of softwood lumber, paper and bio-energy products that help mitigate climate change and provide innovative solutions to green building and energy needs.

Profiles with information about the people, community and wood of each of the 23 podiums, and high-definition clips of construction and interviews with donors are available for re-broadcast at www.gov.bc.ca/for.

A schedule of events and medal ceremonies is available at www.vancouver2010.com.