Cornel Oțelea (19 November 1940 – 22 January 2025) was a Romanian handball player who won the World Championships three times.

[1] Oțelea won three world titles, the European Champions Cup as a player (1968) and coach (1977), both with Steaua București.

He was a coach of the Romania men's national handball team (bronze medal at the 1990 World Men's Handball Championship), and from 2008 he coached the Steaua Bucharest men's handball team.

Colonel Cornel Oțelea from the Ministry of National Defense 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 1st Class.