Olympian Pal Schmitt on EB Candidacy

(ATR) Hungarian IOC member Pal Schmitt says his long experience as an IOC member should be considered in his campaign to win a seat on the ruling Executive Board.

"I am a member of the IOC for 34 years, having the opportunity to serve the Olympic Movement in various roles and positions. Among others, I was Vice President of the Athletes Commission, for ten years I served as Chief of Protocol of the IOC and of which I am very proud, I was chair of the Sport and Environment Commission for 17 years," Schmitt tells Around the Rings. He was a member of the EB from 1991 to 1999, the last four years as a vice president.

He is one of four candidates so far for one of the two Executive Board seats open for election at the Lima IOC Session in September.

Other candidates include Nicole Hoevertsz from Aruba, Habu Gumel of Nigeria and Denis Oswald from Switzerland.

"I also have significant experience in the operations of the National Olympic Committees, having been president of one of the oldest and most successful NOCs, the Hungarian Olympic Committee for 21 years. Schmitt says.

Schmitt also has a long career in public service as Hungarian ambassador to Spain and Switzerland, member and vicepresident of the European Parliament, speaker of the Hungarian Parliament and President of Hungary.

Schmitt was involved with the ill-fated bid from Budapest for the 2024 Olympics as president of the Budapest 2024 Bid Committee.

"I gained valuable insight in the bidding process from the perspectives of a bid committee as well as the IOC," Schmitt says.

An Olympic champion in fencing, Schmitt won his medals at the 1968 and 1972 Olympics.

Schmitt was elected to the IOC in 1983 and is the fourth most senior member of the body. He is covered by the IOC age 80 retirement rule.

"I feel that I could successfully and positively contribute to and serve the IOC members, the Executive Board and the entire Olympic Movement during the last five years of my active IOC membership," he says.

Schmitt’s tenure as president of Hungary came to an early end in 2012 after plagiarism charges were raised about his 1992 doctoral dissertation. He resigned as president and self-suspended his IOC membership while the IOC Ethics Commission reviewed his file. A year later the Ethics Commission handed down a warning and closed its file on Schmitt.

Written by Ed Hula.

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