Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is confident that next year's Olympic Games in Paris will not only be a success, but more importantly, will serve to unite the world in peaceful competition.

"With the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 only months away, the athletes, the fans, the entire Olympic community, all of us, are looking forward to a new era of Olympic Games: younger, more inclusive, more urban, more sustainable," Bach said in his New Year's message.

"It is inspiring to see everyone in the Olympic Movement making this new era of Olympic Games a reality. Therefore, we can look forward with great confidence to the Olympic Games Paris 2024 as a symbol of global unity and peace," he added.

Earlier this month, the IOC announced its decision to have a limited number of Russian and Belarusian athletes compete in Paris as neutrals under "strict eligibility conditions."

The decision applies to athletes who do not support the war in Ukraine while removing the option of a blanket ban due to the invasion.

"We are longing for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 to unite the entire world in peaceful competition," Bach said.

"People are exhausted and tired of the antagonism, hostility and hatred they encounter in all areas of their lives," he opined.

The former Olympic fencer also pointed out that the Games will be the first with full gender parity.

"Our expectations of these Olympic Games are shared by billions of people. In these difficult times we live in, people all over the world are exhausted and tired of the antagonism, hostility and hatred they face in all areas of their lives," Bach noted.

"Deep in our hearts we all long for something that unites us. Something that unites us despite our differences. Something to give us hope. Something that inspires us to solve problems peacefully. Something that brings out the best in us," he stated.