Overview
- Organisers forecast temperatures up to 38°C for the Ratingen combined‑events meeting and have changed the schedule and services to reduce heat risk.
- The meeting director moved the first‑day 400‑metre finish from 17:30 to 18:30 to avoid the hottest hours and extended midday breaks to limit midday exposure.
- Deutsche Leichtathletik‑Marketing said it will supply cooling vests, ice baths, extra shade, water stations, sprinklers and fans to help athletes recover and avoid dehydration.
- Decathlon world champion Leo Neugebauer said he feels prepared because he lives and trains in Texas, will focus on hydration and electrolytes, and will use Ratingen as a dress rehearsal rather than chase a target score.
- Ratingen serves as Neugebauer's last tune‑up ahead of the European Championships in Birmingham in early August and the organisers' handling of the heat could influence athletes' readiness and medical responses at future meets.