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
Secretary-General of the European Economic and Social Committee five years. The current Secretary-General is , whose term began on 1 March 2014. Previous Secretaries-Generals include: Secretary-General of the European Economic and Social Committee The Secretary-General heads the Secretariat of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). About seven hundred EESC officials work in the EESC Secretariat. Some 350 of those work in the 'joint services', a special shared service established together with the Committee of the Regions. The chief role of the EESC's Secretary-General is to implement decisions taken by the Plenary Assembly, the Bureau and the President. The Secretary-General is also responsible for managing the administration and