President of the International Olympic Committee congress. Athens was approved to host the 1896 Olympic Games, being the original home of the Olympics, and Vikelas was duly chosen as the first President of the IOC. Pierre, Baron de Coubertin, took over the IOC presidency when Demetrius Vikelas stepped down after the Olympics in his own country. Despite its initial success, the Olympic Movement faced hard times, as the 1900 Games (in de Coubertin's own Paris) and 1904 Games were both upstaged by World's Fairs—Exposition Universelle in 1900 and Louisiana Purchase Exposition in 1904—and received little attention. The 1906 Intercalated Games revived the momentum, and the Olympic
Tuvalu Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee the airport. Athletes also train on the airport tarmac, the beach, or on a road. TASNOC's Secretary General said the following about the biggest challenges the committee faces: "I think it’s finance and facilities, sporting facilities." The athletes do not have access to nutritionists, physiotherapists, and sports psychologists. They talk with the pastors of the church for guidance. In 2007 the Secretary General of the Tuvalu National Olympic Committee was Nakibae Kitiseni. The Secretary General in 2012 was Teake Esene Manatu, who was succeeded by Isala T. Isala on April 3, 2014. The Secretary General is responsible for the logistics