About Ștefan Birtalan
Ștefan Birtalan, 75, Romanian handball player (Steaua Bucharest, Minerul Baia Mare), coach and sports official, Olympic silver medallist (1976).
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Full Biography
|Ştefan Birtalan (25 September 1948 – 27 May 2024) was a Romanian handball player, coach and sports official.
Birtalan was one of the best players of his time and was named the World Player of the Year in 1974, 1976 and 1977. He spent most of his club career with Steaua București, winning with them 12 Romanian championships and the European Champions Cup in 1977. He also won the world title in 1970 and 1974, becoming the top scorer at the 1974 tournament with 43 goals. He participated in the 1972, 1976 and 1980 Olympics winning one silver and 2 bronze medals.
Biography
Birtalan was of Hungarian descent through his parents István and Valeria.
As a teenager he trained in handball, volleyball, basketball and athletics. He debuted in handball aged 16 with the team Rapid CFR Jibou. In 1966, he moved to Baia Mare to study civil engineering. There he first played volleyball and in 1967 changed to handball. From 1970 to 1985 he competed for Steaua Bucharest, with an interruption between 1981 and 1983. With Steaua he won the 1977 EHF Champions League title, finishing second in 1971, and 12 national titles. In 1966, he was included to the junior and in 1968 to the senior national handball team.
At the end of his career Birtalan spent one year in Italy as player-coach in 1985–86. After returning to Romania he worked with the national junior team, and in 1991–1994 was head coach at Steaua. In 1994 he accepted a coaching position in Qatar. Between 1999 and 2002 he again coached Steaua, bringing it to the national titles in 2000 and 2001. In 2002 he retired from coaching due to health problems, and became a sport administrator.
Birtalan died on 27 May 2024, at the age of 75.
International achievements
- EHF Champions League:
- World Championship:
- Summer Olympics:
- World University Championship:
- Gold Medalist: 1973, 1975
National achievements
Player
- Steaua București
- Romanian National League:
- Winner: 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985
- Romanian Cup:
- Winner: 1981, 1985
Manager
- Steaua București
- Romanian National League:
- Winner: 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 2000, 2001
- Romanian Cup:
- Winner: 1990, 2000, 2001
Individual awards and honours
- IHF
- 3× IHF World Player of the Year: 1974, 1976, 1977
- World Championship Top Scorer: 1974
- Summer Olympics Top Scorer: 1976
- National
- 3× Romanian Sportsman of the Year: 1974, 1976, 1977
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C8%98tefan_Birtalan
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 7 questions
Questions drawn from Ștefan Birtalan's archived record and the sources above.
1.In which year did Ștefan Birtalan die?
- A.2015
- B.2024correct
- C.2017
- D.2011
Ștefan Birtalan died in 2024.
Source: Profile: year of death: "the Comitetul Olimpic și Sportiv Român (in Romanian) (archive) Archive record: year of death 2024. Archive record: year of birth 1948. Archive record: age at death 7
2.How old was Ștefan Birtalan when they died?
- A.82
- B.69
- C.75correct
- D.64
Ștefan Birtalan was 75 years old at the time of death.
Source: Profile: age at death: "n at databaseOlympics.com (archived) Ștefan Birtalan at Olympedia Stefan Birtalan at Olympics.com Stefan Birtalan at the Comitetul Olimpic și Sportiv Român (in Romani
3.In which year was Ștefan Birtalan born?
- A.1942
- B.1939
- C.1948correct
- D.1936
Ștefan Birtalan was born in 1948.
Source: Profile: year of birth: "External links == Stefan Birtalan at databaseOlympics.com (archived) Ștefan Birtalan at Olympedia Stefan Birtalan at Olympics.com Stefan Birtalan at the Comitetul Ol
4.In which month did Ștefan Birtalan die?
- A.Maycorrect
- B.June
- C.July
- D.August
Ștefan Birtalan died in May.
Source: Archive record: date of death: "n at the Comitetul Olimpic și Sportiv Român (in Romanian) (archive) Archive record: year of death 2024. Archive record: year of birth 1948. Archive record: ag
5.On which day of the month did Ștefan Birtalan die?
- A.28
- B.27correct
- C.26
- D.29
Ștefan Birtalan died on day 27 of the month.
Source: Archive record: date of death: "alan at the Comitetul Olimpic și Sportiv Român (in Romanian) (archive) Archive record: year of death 2024. Archive record: year of birth 1948. Archive record:
6.In which field was Ștefan Birtalan known?
- A.novelist
- B.handball playercorrect
- C.chemist
- D.architect
The biography describes Ștefan Birtalan as a handball player.
Source: Profile: occupation: "chived) Ștefan Birtalan at Olympedia Stefan Birtalan at Olympics.com Stefan Birtalan at the Comitetul Olimpic și Sportiv Român (in Romanian) (archive) Archive record: y
7.What nationality was Ștefan Birtalan?
- A.Australian
- B.Argentine
- C.American
- D.Romaniancorrect
Ștefan Birtalan is recorded as Romanian.
Source: Profile: nationality: "n Birtalan at Olympics.com Stefan Birtalan at the Comitetul Olimpic și Sportiv Român (in Romanian) (archive) Archive record: year of death 2024. Archive record: year o
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