Aleksander Marek Kowalski (October 7, 1902 – April 3, 1940) was a Polish

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

 ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 player who competed in the 1928 Winter Olympics

1928 Winter Olympics

The 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated February 11–19, 1928 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The 1928 Games were the first true Winter Olympics held on its own as they were not in conjunction with a Summer Olympics...

 and in the 1932 Winter Olympics

1932 Winter Olympics

The 1932 Winter Olympics, officially known as the III Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1932 in Lake Placid, New York, United States. The games opened on February 4 and closed on February 15. It would be the first winter olympics held in the United...

.

He was born in Warsaw

Warsaw

Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...

, Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

 and was killed in the Katyn massacre

Katyn massacre

The Katyn massacre, also known as the Katyn Forest massacre , was a mass execution of Polish nationals carried out by the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs , the Soviet secret police, in April and May 1940. The massacre was prompted by Lavrentiy Beria's proposal to execute all members of...

. His family received the last postcard on February 11, 1940. His exact date of death is unknown, but he was on the list of the NKVD

NKVD

The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....

 dated April 3, 1940.

In 1928 he participated with the Polish ice hockey team in the Olympic tournament

Ice hockey at the 1928 Winter Olympics

At the 1928 Winter Olympics, the ice hockey event was contested by 11 teams. The competition was held from Saturday, February 11, 1928 to Sunday, February 19, 1928....

.

Four years later he was a member of the Polish team which finished fourth in the 1932 Olympic tournament

Ice hockey at the 1932 Winter Olympics

At the 1932 Winter Olympics, the ice hockey tournament was contested by only four teams. The competition was held from Thursday, February 4, 1932 to Saturday, February 13, 1932...

. He played all six matches and scored two goals. This made him the top scorer for the team, scoring two out of the team's three goals

Further reading

• The murderers of Katyn by Vladimir Abaeinov Hippocrene Books, 1993 ISBN 0-7818-0032-3