Burns noted that Paris 2024 offers a great opportunity to launch a "revival of the Olympic brand" after the challenges of the recent Summer Games in Tokyo due to lockdowns and pandemic-related issues, as well as the doping controversies at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi. 

Speaking to AFP, the man who has played a key role in five successful campaigns for Olympic host cities since leaving the IOC admits that "the world has changed drastically" about the decision to hold the opening ceremony outside a stadium. "I know Etienne (Thobois, CEO of the organising committee) and Tony (Estanguet, head of the organising committee) and I am confident that they realise that security can make or break the Games depending on the outcome. I believe that Paris 24 knows how important these Games are for the Olympic movement and for the world". 

He also expressed confidence that "the fervent hope is that Paris 24 will shine brightly and help launch a resurgence of the Olympic brand and the Games around the world". Referring to the recent Summer (Tokyo 2020) and Winter (Beijing 2022) Olympics, he said that "they were excellent, but their global impact was diminished beyond their own borders" due to strict Covidi protocols.

The last South American Games, Rio 2016, he noted, "were plagued by a series of organisational problems that led to endless negative reports." Similar criticism, albeit on different issues, was levelled at the Sochi 2014 Games, which "struggled with doping" in Russia. 

On ticket sales, he expressed satisfaction with their value, contradicting World Athletics President Sebastian Coe, who complained about their high cost. "The organising committee has struck a good balance: for Paris, the general admission ticket starts at 24 euros ($26), almost half of them cost 50 euros or less and they have already sold over seven million," the 65-year-old Irishman told AFP. 

The interview also touched on Ukraine and the alleged boycott it is leading over disagreements about Russian and Belarusian athletes taking part in the Games as neutrals. Burns believes that the IOC's criteria for Russians, such as not taking part in team sports, having no military or security ties, and not supporting the war, could make Ukraine's boycott threat unnecessary. "Since the IOC and the Russian government have already stated that they will not support any athlete who 'meets' the IOC's criteria for participation, this (the Ukrainian boycott) could be a moot point," he concluded.