(ATR) IOC member Pal Schmitt resigns as President of Hungary after it was determined he plagiarized sections of his doctoral dissertation.
Schmitt, who was elected to the post in 2010, told Parliament on Monday he was resigning because the scandal was proving too divisive.
"Hungary's basic law, which I signed, says the head of state is the symbol of national unity," Schmitt was quoted by Bloomberg News Agency.
"This to me means that in this situation, when my personal case divides rather than unites my beloved nation, I feel it is my duty to end my service and return my presidential mandate."
He refused to acknowledge any link between the scandal and the presidency.
It remains to be seen whether the scandal affects Schmitt’s IOC membership. While the dispute over his thesis is outside the realm of his Olympic duties, the IOC Code of Ethics enjoins members that "they must not act in a manner likely to tarnish the reputation of the Olympic Movement".
Schmitt has been an IOC member since 1983 and was a member of the IOC Executive Board in 1992 when his thesis was published.
Asked if an ethics probe would be launched, the IOC said in a statement sent to Around the Rings: "The IOC will ask to receive the reports related to this case, study them and then consider whether any action needs to be taken."
In an interview on state television Friday, Schmitt said he wouldnot resign the Hungarian presidency.
The thesis, titled: "An analysis of the program of Modern Olympic Games" was found Thursday by the Semmelweis University to have "unusually large amounts of verbatim translation".
"The university condemns the violation of scientific norms and sanctions it according to the possibilities offered by law," Rector Tivadar Tulassay was quoted by AP.
Written by Ed Hula III.
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