Chiharu Igaya, ITU Honorary Vice President and JTU Honorary President, assumed a new honorary membership of the IOC on 1 January 2012, following his retirement from the IOC member.

During his time in office as IOC member since1982, Mr. Igaya served as IOC Executive Board member twice, IOC Vice President, and member of various IOC Commissions.

He also worked closely with Les McDonald, then ITU President, in an effort to have our sport of triathlon included in the Olympic program by soliciting understanding from the IOC led by Juan A. Samaranch, the late IOC President. Finally, the decision to involve triathlon as an official sport in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games was made at the 1994 IOC Congress held in Paris.

Attending the first Winter Youth Olympic Games, Innsbruck, Austria he will continue to support the sports as a silver medalist of Winter Olympic Games, Cortina D’ampezzo, 1956.