Cornel Oțelea (19 November 1940 – 22 January 2025) was a Romanian

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...

player who won the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

three times. From 1993 to 1995 he was the president of the

Romanian Handball Federation The Romanian Handball Federation () (FRH) is the governing body of handball in Romania. It is based in Bucharest. FRH is led by 6 departments. History * The official rules of the game are written and published by Karl Schelenz in Berlin (1919). * ...

Biography

Oțelea won three world titles, the

European Cup The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by top-division European clubs. The competition begins with a round robi ...

both as a player (1968) and coach (1977), with Steaua București. He was

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

of Romania's national team (bronze medal at the

1990 World Men's Handball Championship The 1990 World Men's Handball Championship was the 12th team handball World Championship. It was held in Czechoslovakia from February 28 to March 10, 1990. Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic count ...

), and from 2002 until 2005, he coached the Romania women's national team. Colonel Cornel Oțelea from the

Ministry of National Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divide ...

was promoted to the rank of brigadier general (with one star), being subsequently transferred to the reserve on 31 December 1997. In 2009, he was decorated with the

Order of Sports Merit The Order of Sport Merit () is one of South Korea's Orders of Merit. It is awarded to those who have rendered outstanding meritorious services in the interest of improving citizen's physique and national status through sports. Classes The Ord ...

1st Class. Oțelea died on 22 January 2025, at the age of 84.

References

External links

Cornel Oțelea
at EU aleg România {{DEFAULTSORT:Oțelea, Cornel 1940 births 2025 deaths Romanian male handball players Sportspeople from Sibiu County Presidents of the Romanian Handball Federation FCSB presidents Ion Luca Caragiale National College (Bucharest) alumni 20th-century Romanian sportsmen

Biography

See also

References

External links