Harold Zimman published The Olympian, the official monthly magazine of the Olympic Society, from 1977 until his death. He served as a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee from 1952 until his death and for many years sat on the committee’s executive board. The Tufts University graduate founded the USOC’s Public Relations and Media Committee.

Zimman is recipient of the Olympic Gold Order, the International Olympic Committee’s highest honor. Through 1994, he was 1 of 30 Americans to have received the Order and the first honoree who was not an athlete or sports leader.

Zimman was a member of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Welfare Board from 1948 until his death and was chairman of its Health and Physical Education Committee since 1958. In 1966, he was appointed by the JWB to serve on the USOC as representative of the American Jewish community.

In 1948, Zimman and Charles Ornstein, Harry D. Henshel, and Edward Rosenblum founded the United States Committee Sports for Israel with the vision of helping Israel obtain membership in the international Olympic community. With his goal accomplished, Israel competed in the 1952 Olympic Games, Zimman remained active in the USCSFI’s numerous other U.S.-Israel sports-related projects, including the World Maccabiah Games. He was also a prime mover in the development of sports facilities in the United States and Israel.

In 1950, Zimman was a player on the USA’s 3rd Maccabiah Gamesmen’s volleyball team.