The 16th Asian Games, part of the worldwide Olympic movement and governed by the Olympic Council of Asia will use cloud seeding and other scientific measures to eliminate rain during next year's opening and closing ceremonies.

Although the duration of the Guangzhou 2010 Asian Games falls into the period considered the "dry season" in Southern China, there is still a certain degree of probability of precipitation, the organizing committee said in a press release.

Based on research and real-time experience of artificial rain elimination gained from hosting the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing last summer, organizers of the 2010 Asian Games are formulating a Plan of Rain Reduction for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies that will be held at Guangzhou's 80,000 seat Olympic Stadium on November 12 and 27, 2010.

As emergency safeguards measure for the opening and closing ceremonies, scientific rain experiments will be conducted in a limited time and limited space and are not expected to have an adverse effect on Guangzhou and the surrounding areas, said the organizing committee.

Measurements of temperature, wind speed, wind direction, relative humidity, atmosphere pressure and precipitation will be taken and provided every three hours during rehearsals for the opening and closing ceremonies.

Forecasts for temperature, wind direction, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure, precipitation and general sky conditions will be made three to 36 hours in advance and will be released twice daily.

(Xinhua News Agency July 23, 2009)