Les Zoltai was born in Budapest, Hungary and was a Second Lieutenant in the Hungarian Army. At the 1948 Olympic Games in London, England he ran for his home country in the 5000 metre run, and then at the 1976 Games in Montreal he served as an official for the modern pentathlon event.

Zoltai was Fanshawe's Director of Athletics from 1964 to 1985, and was part of a group of seven athletic directors that founded the OCAA in 1967. From 1968 to 1979, Zoltai served as OCAA Soccer Convenor, and in 1975-76 he was Table Tennis Convenor. He operated 12 varsity sports at Fanshawe and their teams won 28 Ontario titles and three Canadian titles during his tenure.

In 1975, he received an Ontario Special Achievement Award for his contributions to fitness and amateur sport. In 1987, the OCAA presented Zoltai with a Shield Award to recognize his contributions to the association.