24 Facts About Demetrius Vikelas

Demetrios Vikelas was a Greek businessman and writer; he was the first President of the International Olympic Committee, from 1894 to 1896.

Demetrius Vikelas was born in Ermoupoli, on the island of Syros in Greece.

Demetrius Vikelas's father was a merchant, originally from Veria and his mother, Smaragda, was a member of the rich Melas family.

Demetrius Vikelas was educated at home by his mother, possibly due to his fragile health.

Demetrius Vikelas began to maintain a weekly correspondence with his mother.

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Demetrius Vikelas kept a journal in which he recorded not only facts about his daily life but advice from his uncle Leon and his thoughts on books he had read and plays he was able to attend.

Demetrius Vikelas took part in fencing, horse-riding and rowing, although circumstances did not allow him to keep these up.

Demetrius Vikelas wrote letters to the main newspapers of the time to demand that Greece's rights be respected.

Demetrius Vikelas met and became friends with Charilaos Trikoupis - the son of the Greek ambassador to Britain Spyridon Trikoupis, himself destined to become Prime Minister of Greece.

Demetrius Vikelas thus found himself in command of a comfortable fortune, which allowed him to fully dedicate his time to literature.

True to his character, Demetrius Vikelas recorded the progress of his wife's mental health daily during the twenty years which followed.

Demetrius Vikelas started to build a home around the corner from the streets of Panepistimiou and Voukourestiou.

Demetrius Vikelas spent the following fifteen years in Paris, building up contacts with the surrounding intellectuals and literati of the French capital.

Demetrius Vikelas wrote for it, as before, numerous articles, novels and even travel guides.

Demetrius Vikelas suggested using Katharevousa for parliamentary proceedings, for example, but popular language for poetry.

Demetrius Vikelas returned to Greece, visited Scotland, Switzerland, Spain and Constantinople.

Originally, it had been De Coubertin's idea to hold the first celebration of the modern Olympics in Paris in 1900, but Demetrius Vikelas convinced him and the newly created International Olympic Committee that they should be held in Athens, in order to symbolically link them to the original Games.

Demetrius Vikelas decided to leave Paris to move permanently to Athens.

Demetrius Vikelas died in Athens on 20 July 1908 "from an afflicting illness".

Demetrius Vikelas had been made a knight of the Legion of Honour on 31 December 1891, and honorary doctor of the University of St Andrews in November 1893 .

Demetrius Vikelas decided to reiterate his efforts at the Congress in 1894 which followed, which would openly address the issue of amateur sports, but with the sub-text of the recreation of the Olympic Games.

Demetrius Vikelas gained support from several personalities: the King of the Belgians, the Prince of Wales, the Diadochus Constantine and William Penny Brookes, the founder of the "Olympian Games" in Shropshire, England, and Ioannis Phokianos.

Demetrius Vikelas turned to one of the more eminent representatives of the Greek community in Paris, Demetrios Vikelas, to whom he wrote to ask him to take part in the Congress.

Demetrius Vikelas translated into Greek the stories of Hans Christian Andersen, and various Shakespeare plays.