János Mihálkovics

János Mihálkovics was born into a sailing family. His father, Dr. Tivadar Mihálkovics, was a pioneer of the sport in Hungary and came up with the idea and the execution of the of the first Hungarian sailing competitions in the country. All three of Tivadar’s sons - Elemér, János and Árpád - loved sailing, but only János remained an active member of racing.

As long as his work would allow, János competed regularly and also held various positions in the Hungarian Yacht Association and the Royal Hungarian Yacht Club. In 1928 he took part in the Amsterdam Olympics as the skipper of the Hungária 6R yacht. He continued to sail regularly on Lake Balaton, but rarely competitively. Mihálkovics occasionally published articles in sailing magazines. Mihálkovics studied law and then became a professional diplomat, first as secretary at the Royal Embassy in Moscow, then as royal consul general in Istanbul.