BEIJING — Rain threatens to dampen Friday's opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.

The show will go on, however, rain or shine, according to Wang Hui, spokeswoman for the Beijing organizing committee.

"We have done some rehearsals, and in one rehearsal we encountered periodic rain," she said today. "That may have turned out to be a test for us. So we are very confident of producing a successful opening ceremony."

Meteorologists will only say there is a chance of rain. A more precise forecast is expected on Wednesday.

China's government has a well-known rain-making department and officials had spoken confidently about being able to make rain — or even stop it — during the games.

Now they're a bit more cautious.

"Our technology is still considered experimental," said Zhang Qiang, director of the Weather Modification Bureau.