German athletes have been urged to give everything at their home European Championships starting in Berlin on Monday.
"We fight for every inch," Idriss Gonschinska, head coach of the German Athletics Federation, told a team meeting according to a statement on Saturday.
Hurdler Patrick Karl has had to pull out with an Achilles tendon problem but the German squad of 125 is still the largest ever for a European Championships.
A total of 1,600 athletes from 51 countries will compete.
For the first time, most of the award ceremonies will take place at Berlin's Breitscheidplatz in the centre of the city. The men's shot put qualification will also be held there on Monday, along with the marathons and the walking competitions.
Around 270,000 tickets have already been sold for the main event at Berlin's Olympic Stadium from Monday until next Sunday, more than ever before at an European Championship.