Barnabas Kovacs - Hungarian racer and coach

Barnabas Kovacs, 70, a significant figure in the Hungarian skiing community, died in a car accident on January 1, 2017.

Kovacs became Hungarian junior alpine champion several times and was a member of the national team. Starting in 1985, he worked as alpine head coach variously for the Netherlands, Chile, Australia and Argentina, then returned to Hungary in 2008 as head coach for the national team. Last year, he retired as alpine coach but remained in charge of the Hungarian cross-country, ski jumping, biathlon and freestyle teams. Kovacs participated at six Olympic Winter Games and eleven FIS World Championships.