Geneva, Dec 29 (IANS): International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach has sent out his New Year's message to the world, seeking for the Olympic Games to be the hope of unifying and bringing the world together.
"In these difficult times we are living through, people everywhere are exhausted and tired of all the antagonism, the hostility, the hate they are confronted with in every area of their lives.
"Deep in our hearts, we are all longing for something unifying. Something that brings us together, despite the differences we have. Something that gives us hope. Something that inspires us to address problems in a peaceful way. Something that brings out the best in us," Xinhua quoted Bach as saying in his New Year's message published on the official website on Thursday.
The Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games will kick off an Olympic year in January, while the highlight of the year is the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer.
"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," Bach added.
"These feelings are also shared by the international community. We are very grateful for this strong global support. At the same time, all the great expectations for Paris mean a great responsibility for all of us - the responsibility to live up to these expectations," he said.
Bach said he is looking beyond the Olympic Games to "make the world a better place through sport," as IOC is pushing the project of the Olympic Agenda 2020+5 to strengthen the role of sport in society.
Bach also mentioned the digital revolution and artificial intelligence as huge opportunities for the Olympic Movement. "We need to seize them now. This is why the IOC Esports Commission is studying the creation of Olympic Esports Games. This new endeavor has been received with enthusiasm by the esports community. We are truly breaking new ground," he said.
"Building on this momentum and energy, we can look to the future of our Olympic community with great confidence. United in all our diversity, we live our Olympic motto: we are going even faster, we are aiming even higher, we are getting even stronger - because we stand together. Faster, Higher, Stronger - Together," Bach remarked.