09/05/2026
**Veterans Judo USA – Funding Clarification**
Veterans Judo USA is a **private nonprofit organization** created to promote competition and provide opportunities for Veteran Judo players.
We want to be very clear: **Veterans Judo USA is NOT USA Judo, and we are not the National Governing Body for Judo in the United States.**
While we would love to provide financial assistance to every Veteran athlete representing the United States at the World Championships, that simply is not possible. The funds we provide come directly from **Veterans Judo USA tournament revenue and private donors.** Because those funds are limited, we have established strict and consistent criteria to ensure they are distributed fairly.
Our philosophy is simple: **we support the competitors who support our organization and our events.**
To qualify for the current funding, an athlete must have:
• Competed in **at least 2 of the last 3 Veterans Judo USA events**, and
• Placed **1st, 2nd, or 3rd** at those events.
These requirements apply equally to everyone. We cannot change the criteria based on individual circumstances after funding decisions have been made.
We sincerely wish we could help every Veteran athlete going to Worlds, and we are sorry to those who did not qualify for funding this year. However, broader funding and support for U.S. athletes attending the World Championships is an issue that should also be addressed with **USA Judo, our National Governing Body**.
Veterans Judo USA will continue working to grow our events, increase our fundraising, and provide as much support as possible to the Veteran Judo community.
**Thank you to everyone who competes in, supports, donates to, and helps grow Veterans Judo USA.**
