The International Olympic Committee should take action to address climate change going into the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics in an effort to ensure a sustainable Winter Games, Chiharu Igaya, a 93-year-old former Japanese Olympic slalom medalist and honorary IOC member, said in a recent interview in Tokyo.

"I hope the IOC will take the initiative and display its leadership on nature conservation," Igaya said.

Some studies have suggested that the number of possible candidates to host a Winter Games will fall to 10 by 2040 due to the effects of global warming.

Igaya also noted the lack of natural snow at venues for the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022.

While proposing moving some Summer Olympics events held indoors over to the Winter Olympics, Igaya said, "It would be amazing if we could help the movement for peace as much as possible without reducing the number of sporting events."

"The noble purpose of the Olympic Games is to contribute to building world peace," he said.

At the Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Games in 1956, Igaya became the first Japanese athlete to win a Winter Olympic medal when he won silver in the men's slalom. He remains the only Japanese athlete to win an Olympic medal in Alpine skiing.

With the next Winter Olympics set to return to the place where he won his medal, Igaya said, "I'd like to see my successor emerge (from Japan)."

Referring to Morinari Watanabe, a 65-year-old Japanese who is bidding to become the next IOC president in an election to be held in March, Igaya said he is "well-known globally."

"I think he is more than qualified" to be IOC chief, Igaya said of Watanabe, who heads the International Gymnastics Federation.

Based on his own experience of being a vice president of the IOC, Igaya said that the most important part of the election is for candidates to raise their profile in the world of international sports and contribute to the Olympic movement.