Chiharu Igaya was born on May 20, 1931, in Tomari, Kunashiri, Hokkaidō, Japan. He achieved a historic milestone at the 1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Games, becoming Japan's first Winter Olympics medalist by winning silver in the men's slalom. This also marked him as the first Japanese and first Asian athlete to medal at the Winter Olympics, a distinction he held as the sole Japanese medalist in alpine skiing for decades.

Prior to his Olympic breakthrough, Igaya moved to the United States in 1952 to study at Dartmouth College, joining their ski team. His collegiate career saw him capture six NCAA titles, featuring three consecutive slalom championships, alongside five U.S. national alpine titles. Igaya described his rhythmic racing technique using popular dance analogies like "cha cha" and "mambo."

Igaya competed in three Winter Olympics: Oslo 1952 (11th in slalom), Cortina 1956, and Squaw Valley 1960 (12th in slalom). His career included notable crashes, such as one during the 1956 downhill event and another in deep powder at Mount Tremblant. He also secured a bronze medal in slalom at the 1958 World Championships in Bad Gastein, Austria.

After retiring from competition, Igaya joined AIG Insurance, rising to president of its Japanese branch. He maintained significant involvement in sports administration, serving on the FIS alpine skiing committee, as vice-president of the International Triathlon Union, and as an International Olympic Committee member from 1982 to 2012, including a term as vice-president. He advocated for including more indoor sports in the Winter Games and supported professional athletes' participation in the Olympics.

Igaya ceased skiing at age 70 due to safety concerns, specifically citing the prevalence of "kamikaze skiers" in Japan. His contributions were recognized through inductions into the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame in 1971 and the Olympians for Life project in 2018.