YULF is committed to empowering aspiring judo athletes in their pursuit of academic and athletic excellence. “We’re in the business of building good citizens,” once said Yosh Uchida, SJSU Judo Founder and coach, who passed away in June 2024, aged 104, after a life dedicated to judo. Yosh Uchida was also the coach of several top athletes, including Marti Malloy, an Olympic and world medallist who is now working for LA28.
Everest Judo, which has been supported by the IJF in recent years, is an international development project founded by multi-time Austrian judo Olympian Sabrina Filzmoser, who is also the head of the IJF Athletes' Commission and an IJF Climate Ambassador. The new partnership between YULF and Everest Judo underscores a shared commitment to leveraging the values and philosophy of the sport to inspire and uplift communities worldwide.
Everest Judo has made significant strides in bringing education and sport to underprivileged children in the Himalayan region. With a focus on providing access to schools, nutritious meals, medical care and sports training, the initiative has enriched numerous lives through the ethical and educational principles of judo.
“Judo is more than a sport, it’s a way of life,” said Sabrina Filzmoser. “This collaboration with YULF strengthens our ability to provide children in Nepal and Bhutan with the tools to envision and pursue better futures, rooted in the core values of judo.”
Watch again the fantastic adventure of Forever Everest
About Everest Judo
Established after Sabrina’s first trip to Nepal in 2005, Everest Judo has grown from supporting one school in Bhutan to impacting numerous communities across Nepal. The programme incorporates judo in school curricula, providing critical resources such as training equipment, instructor funding and support for children with disabilities. In 2022, the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality integrated judo into physical education programmes for all its schools.
Together, YULF and Everest Judo aim to expand support for initiatives across the Himalayas, focusing on empowering children through judo’s philosophy of respect, discipline and perseverance. Both organisations envision a future where the values of judo serve as a bridge for cultural exchange and an avenue for lasting change in underserved communities.
Learn more about the Everest Judo project and donate to support the programme CLICK HERE