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Laszlo Beliczay/EPA
Hungarian President Pal Schmitt (left) announces his resignation in parliament in Budapest, Hungary, Monday.
Hungary's president, former Olympic gold medalist Pal Schmitt, said Monday that he would resign after being accused of plagiarism and stripped of his doctorate, according to media reports.
Schmitt has been the target of public ire over the past few days when he chose to stay in office despite evidence that he had transposed practically his entire doctoral thesis 20 years ago, local English language news site portfolio.hu reported.
The BBC said Budapest's Semmelweis University last week revoked his 1992 award after finding that much of his thesis -- on the topic of the modern Olympic games -- was based entirely on earlier work by Bulgarian researcher Nikolai Georgiev.
Schmitt, elected in 2010, said "my personal issue divides my beloved nation rather than unites it," according to the BBC report. "It is my duty to end my service and resign my mandate as president."
'Ethical' criteria
The BBC said Schmitt, 69, won gold medals for fencing at the 1968 and 1972 Olympic Games.
The Bloomberg news agency reported that Schmitt has headed the Hungarian Olympic Committee since 1990 and was vice president of the International Olympic Committee from 1995 to 1999. He was a deputy state secretary for sports under communism in the 1980s.
Schmitt's thesis "didn't meet the ethical and professional criteria of scientific work," Tivadar Tulassay, the rector of Semmelweis University was quoted as saying by Bloomberg, after the university stripped the president of his doctoral title.
Tulassay himself quit Sunday, citing a "loss of trust| from the government ministry overseeing the university, Bloomberg said.
An investigation began after the HVG.hu news website first alleged in January that Schmitt's thesis copied material from other research.
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Leave a Comment:
That wrinkly faced woman in your ads is truly a horror.
I wonder what we will find when we finally get a crack at Obamas school records?
... such as what nationality he specified on his applications for college, graduate school and student financial aid ... and what the topic of his thesis was
It's amazing how diverse corruption is among politicians these days.
In the developing world, it's all theft and graft. Us richer nations have plagiarists and drug addicts!
Crazy world.
I'd take corruption like plagiarism on a doctoral dissertation any day over the normal shenanigans that plague most governments!
Chris:
Plagiarism is a inherently dishonest and corrupt practice much too common in academics and unfortunately acceptable to some people.
Course, one can wonder what proportion of buttheads in government offices practice[d] plagiarism at some point to avoid thinking for themselves!
This has nothing to do with politicians! He was not a politician when he "wrote" his doctorate, thereby, your statement is wrong and you should read the article before yawing.
"This has nothing to do with politicians! He was not a politician when he "wrote" his doctorate, "
Beeep, wrong.
He was politician long before:
He was in the Kadar era, in the commmunist government deputy minister for sport (1983-1986) - he was to follow Moscow's order and hungarians can not go to L.A. in 1984...
Oh my! Lajos, where did you learn English?
Does anyone really give a rat's arse about the Olympics anymore? I mean, these are athletes that compete once every four years in an orgy of corporate sponsorship and international finance, in esoteric sports like shot put, curling, fencing, and the like.
No offense, but when the Olympics are on, I just don't watch.
And in this country, you can't watch an even unless the "USA! USA!" has a chance of winning it. Anything we suck at, never gets televised.
Better things to do with my time that watch other people at work.
The guy was an idiot !!
He should have gone to Boston University.
Martin Luther King plagiarized his "doctorate thesis" yet Boston University did not revoke his his "degree".
He should push to bring back sword dueling in Hungary before resigning, then maybe he can have a few "get evens" down the road with those that spilt the beans.
"Sic transit gloria mundis"...
There are no politician "ethical"... sometimes there are very few stateman (or statewoman) but to be and stay alive among politicians they have to rennounce to their ethics or to their political live...
BTW: I had once the opportunity to listen some lectures from one amazing professor (that teach other university professors). He's invited by authorities and goverments around the world to give his curses, lectures, workshops and dissertation, but... he's an autodidact. He use to start his lectures with the words: "Please allow me to present myself: I have no academic titles, I even didn't finish high school" Now, that's ethics!