''Our biggest worry is the weather. We're literally glued to the weather chart,'' said a Nagano Olympics organizing committee (NAOC) official.

The two-hour opening ceremony is slated to get under way at 11 a.m. Saturday at the newly built Minami Nagano Sports Park stadium which organizers expect to be filled to its 50,000-seat capacity for the first time.

But with weather in this Japan Alps city anything but predictable around this time of year, organizers say they have alternative plans in case a snowstorm or heavy snowfall strikes over the next couple of days.

''The opening ceremony wouldn't be canceled, as a matter of principle. However, we have prepared several alternatives in response to any worsening of the weather,'' said ceremonies manager Yoichi Kobayashi.

Heavy snowfall would wreak havoc on road transportation and require time-consuming snow clearing.

Bad weather could also disrupt a live satellite link equipped with a delicate time-lag adjuster with choirs performing the Ode to Joy, the finale of Beethoven's 9th symphony, simultaneously in Beijing, Berlin, Cape Town, New York and Sydney.

If there is heavy snow in the next couple of days, NAOC plans to send 300 people to the stadium early Saturday morning to clear the snow in time for the ceremony.

The organizers are already urging people who plan to attend the opening ceremony to take the JR train and walk 40 minutes to the stadium from the nearest train station, Shinonoi.

Taking the bus service to the stadium requires 20 minutes on foot after getting off the bus, and there is always the possibility of traffic jams.

''We would like to avoid confusion but so many things are still up in the air and depend on the weather,'' said one NAOC official. ''We don't want snow until the end of Saturday.''

(Kyodo News)