Demetrius Vikelas

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Demetrius Vikelas, also known as Bikelas (Greek: Δημήτριος Βικέλας; February 15, 1835 – July 20, 1908) was a Greek businessman and the first president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), from 1894 to 1896.

Born in Ermoupoli, on the island of Syros in Greece, he was often sick as a child. Because of his bad health, he had a spotty education. He left home at 17 to work for his uncle in London, first as a bookkeeper, and then as a partner. In London, he met and became friends with future Prime Minister of Greece Charilaos Trikoupis, the son of the Greek ambassador.

Vikelas represented the Pan-Hellenic Gymnastic Club at the 1894 Paris congress convened by De Coubertin, where the modern Olympic Movement was founded.

Originally, it had been De Coubertin's idea to hold the first celebration of the modern Olympics in Paris in 1900, but Vikelas convinced him and the newly created IOC that they should be held in Athens, in order to symbolically link them to the original Games. As the constitution of the IOC at that time required the IOC president to be from the country which would host the next Games, Vikelas became the IOC's first president.

After these first Olympics, which proved a success, Vikelas withdrew from the IOC and turned his attention elsewhere. He died in Athens, aged 73.