Latter-day Saint’s Olympic Dream Leads to Helping Plan 2027 Temple Open House

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By Trent Toone, Church News

As a high school freshman, David Zumbrennen vividly recalls watching the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games opening ceremony in Spain on his grandmother’s television. He was especially captivated by Spanish archer Antonio Rebollo’s dramatic act of lighting the cauldron with a flaming arrow.

“That is so cool,” he thought to himself. “I want to go to the Olympics.”

The more Zumbrennen observed, the more he became fascinated by the grandeur of this global sporting event. Attending and being a part of the Olympics became his dream.

As high school graduation neared, Zumbrennen devised a plan to volunteer at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, which was successful.

What he didn’t anticipate was that in pursuing his Olympic dream, Zumbrennen would successfully build a career.

Thirty years later, the 47-year-old has volunteered or worked at 13 Olympic Games, as well as many other sporting events and one theme park. These experiences have prepared him to assist The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in planning the Salt Lake Temple open house celebration in 2027.

“It’s been quite humbling to see how all the things I’ve done that at times didn’t make sense have really kind of led to this,” he said in a virtual interview with the Church News. “You suddenly know, ‘Yeah, this was what I was supposed to do.’”

Pursuing an Olympic Dream

Adopted as an infant from Costa Rica, Zumbrennen was raised in a Latter-day Saint home in Provo, Utah

After serving in the Minnesota Minneapolis Mission, Zumbrennen studied history at BYU with an emphasis in colonial Native American tribes, minored in political science and communications, and later completed a master’s certificate at the University of Florida and a master’s degree in sports event management at Georgetown University. During his years at BYU, Zumbrennen was also one of six individuals who performed as university mascot Cosmo the Cougar.

His first Olympic experience came in Atlanta before his mission.

Zumbrennen sacrificed a family vacation to volunteer at the Olympic aquatic center, where he handed out towels and water to athletes and assisted in the hospitality area. He found housing with a local Latter-day Saint family. It wasn’t glamorous, but he loved it.

One meaningful, spiritual moment came as Zumbrennen sat watching people from around the world gather to enjoy the festive atmosphere at Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park.

“One of the purposes of us being here is to understand each other, to communicate and to appreciate culture,” Zumbrennen said. “As members, the Lord wants us to gather in places. Sure, it’s a sporting event, but it’s a place for the world to gather — in peace and harmony.”

After his mission, Zumbrennen volunteered at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, before returning to Utah to get a job with the Salt Lake Organizing Committee before the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics.

For the Salt Lake Games, Zumbrennen worked in volunteer staffing, where he helped recruit, assign and train thousands of volunteers. He also worked at the opening and closing ceremonies as an “audience leader,” coaching sections on when to do the wave and other participatory activities.

“It was an amazing experience,” he said.

From there, Zumbrennen’s Olympic résumé expanded to include: Athens, Greece (2004); Torino, Italy (2006); Beijing, China (2008); Vancouver, British Columbia (2010); London, England (2012); Sochi, Russia (2014); Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2016); Pyeongchang, South Korea (2018) and Paris, France (2024). His roles ranged from NBC tape runner to hospitality and program management. He is currently in Italy at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games.

The only Olympic Games Zumbrennen has missed since 1996 were the 2020 Tokyo Games in Japan — he wasn’t allowed to attend because of COVID-19 restrictions.

Traveling to numerous countries and learning about their histories and cultures has enriched Zumbrennen’s life.

“There are good people out there, and they are trying to make the world a better place in the way they know best,” he said. “That’s what has been rewarding, being able to meet individuals and create relationships.”

One of his favorite memories occurred in Torino when he saw two figure skaters in a hurry to reach a destination but lacking the money for a taxi. He discreetly stepped in and covered the fare.

“I just paid it so the Olympians could get to where they needed to go,” Zumbrennen said, noting that he has learned Christlike discipleship often lives in small, unseen acts of kindness.

Zumbrennen finds gospel symbolism in different aspects of the Olympics, such as gathering to cheer for and love all of God’s children, and the Olympic torch relay as the light of Christ.

“Hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of people come out along the torch relay route,” he said. “Most of them don’t even see the flame ... but they still come because of the power of flame, the power of unity and what it represents. In some ways, that’s the light of Christ too. It has the power to bring people together, to inspire.”

More Preparatory Experiences

Between Olympic Games, Zumbrennen spent 12 years with Disney, including eight years on Disney Cruise Line as crew activities manager. He was responsible for 1,500 staff members from 80-plus countries.

Zumbrennen then branched out to work behind the scenes at major sporting events, including the Super Bowl, the college football national championship, the NBA all-star game, the NCAA Final Four, the Kentucky Derby, the Daytona 500 and more. He will work his first FIFA World Cup soccer event this summer and hopes to add the PGA Tour and World Series to his resume in the future.

When he isn’t at a major sporting event, Zumbrennen, who is not married, works as a substitute teacher, teaching history and social studies, in the Alpine and Canyons school districts in Utah.

‘The Lord Prepares You’

Zumbrennen believes all these experiences have prepared him for a special opportunity. He recently joined the Church’s Salt Lake Temple celebration and open house committee, where he will help plan the event and serve as the volunteer staffing manager for the renovated temple’s six-month public open house, scheduled to take place from April to October 2027.

Zumbrennen said he is truly humbled to look back and see how the Lord has guided him to have experiences that would prepare him for just such an assignment and meaningful event. He hopes to apply all his knowledge and experience to help every volunteer and visitor feel welcome and loved as they visit the house of the Lord at Temple Square next year.

“The Olympics are 17 days, and this is going to be six months. This will be like the Olympics on steroids,” he said. “It’s been rewarding. The Lord prepares you, whether you know it or not.”