The city, which lies nearly 100 kilometres to the west of Kraków, will host karate at the Games which are set to be spread out across the south of Poland.

Competition will take place at the Bielsko-Biała Arena, which has space for 2,400 fans.

Jarosław Klimaszewski, the Mayor of Bielsko-Biała, attended the signing ceremony at City Hall and was joined by Maciej Kurp, the vice-president of the European Games Organising Committee.

Davor Cipek, the secretary general of the European Karate Federation, and Paweł Połtorzecki, the President of the Polish Karate Union, were also in attendance.

"We are experienced in this type of competition, as this is another big event that will take place in our city," said Klimaszewski.

"It's an honour for us to participate in the European Games and we're already inviting you to this event, as there's bound to be a lot going on."

Kurp said that the karate competitions in Bielsko-Biała would be "very popular".

"The city, the hosts of the venue and cooperating institutions are perfectly prepared for this event," he said.

"Thank you very much for that and I hope for even more."

Ninety-six karate athletes are due to compete at Kraków-Małopolska 2023 on June 22 and 23.

The Games will run from June 21 to July 2.

"It is a great honour for me to be here and I would like to thank you very much for your hospitality in such a beautiful city as Bielsko-Biała," said Cipek. 

"Nearly one-and-a-half million athletes are united in the European Karate Federation and the European Games are one of the most important events for all of us. 

"So this year Bielsko-Biała will be the capital of karate and I am already looking forward to coming here again."