Fireworks rehearsal in the Water Cube

Weather is another concern. The sky was said to be mainly overcast and cloudy from Thursday through the weekend. China's meteorological authority also forecasted a brief shower on Friday afternoon. BOCOG says contingency plans for bad weather have been prepared.

Zhang Heping said, "A light shower will do no harm. But the biggest fear is that if there was heavier rainfall, we might be forced to cancel some performances in the air or some high-tech and mechanical arrangements due to safety reasons. Thank God bless us."

Director Zhang also confirmed that the marching order of the 205 National Olympic Committees at the opening ceremony is being dictated by the number of Chinese strokes in the first syllable of each NOC in Mandarin. This is a shift from the traditional system of using the first letter of each NOC.

The opening ceremony will kick off at 8pm sharp Beijing time at the Bird's Nest. Fireworks will be set off at 32 landmark spots in Beijing in celebration of this global sports event.

(CCTV August 8, 2008)