The 2022 European Championships will have a leading role in the events to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich ©Getty Images

A series of events to mark the 50th anniversary of Munich 1972 is underway, with the centrepiece set to be the European Championships, the biggest multi-sport event to be held in the German city since the Olympic Games.

The European Championships, due to take place between August 11 and 21, feature nine sports, including athletics, cycling, gymnastics, rowing and triathlon, which appeared in the inaugural event in Glasgow and Berlin in 2018.

They are set to be joined by beach volleyball, canoe sprint, sport climbing and table tennis in Munich.

A number of cultural events are planned in the build-up to the European Championships to commemorate half-a-century since the Olympic Games.

They include exhibitions and events on sports, culture, design, architecture, culture of remembrance and democracy in both public and digital space.

A key theme of the anniversary events will be remembering the Munich Massacre which saw the death of 11 Israelis attending the Olympics, including five athletes, and a German police officer after the attack by Palestinian terrorists.

Munich 1972 and the terrorist attack are inextricably linked to the history of the Olympic Games in the Bavarian capital.

In addition to a commemoration event on the 50th anniversary on September 5, the 12 victims are due to commemorated throughout 2022.

A minute's silence during the Opening Ceremony of the Festival of Sports and Arts Games in the Olympic Park in Munich on July 1 will be held.

The Munich Massacre, which saw 11 Israelis, including five athletes, murdered during the 1972 Olympic Games will be commemorated by a series of events to mark the 50th anniversary ©Getty Images
The Munich Massacre, which saw 11 Israelis, including five athletes, murdered during the 1972 Olympic Games will be commemorated by a series of events to mark the 50th anniversary ©Getty Images

Throughout the year, Munich will be focusing on the events surrounding the Massacre with various programmes.

The focus will be on the victims and their families, with one month throughout the year dedicated to each victim.

The memorial project is being designed and coordinated by the Jewish Museum Munich and the Munich Documentation Center for the History of National Socialism in cooperation with the Consulate General of the State of Israel.

A number of events marking other key moments of Munich 1972 are also being planned.

More than 150 events and exhibitions are due to take place under the motto "Munich on the way to the future 1972-2022-2072".

"Fifty years later, we want to remember this in a special way, as well as celebrate the visionary power of democracy and look ahead," Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter said.

"We can take the Olympic Games as an example that we will continue to build sustainably and ensure sustainable mobility in the future."

A full programme of events can be seen by clicking here.