SpoGomi, the new sport born in Japan that combines competition and garbage collection

3 min read

2 months ago Pavel

SpoGomi is a combination of two words, “sport” and “gomi”, Japanese for rubbish…and it’s a popular competition in which teams of 3-5 people try to pick up the most trash of the highest quality in a set period of time.

Japan, that invented this new sport that caught on very fast, recently announced that it would host the first SpoGomi World Cup in November of 2023, with teams from all over the world scouring the streets of Tokyo in search of trash to pick up.
According to the rules, each team of three players will have 60 minutes to gather the most trash from a designated area while trying to sort it correctly into color-coded bags for each type (burnable waste, recyclable plastic, metal cans, and more).
When the time is up, the trash will be weighted and checked for proper sorting, and the team with the most trash wins.
In case of a tie, the winner is determined by “the quality” of the trash, with points awarded by type.
Keep in your mind that cigarette butts win the most points.

Either way, the inaugural SpoGomi World Cup sounds like a great way to encourage people to keep public spaces clean, but in terms of the competitive aspect, there is little doubt as to what country will win.
After all, the Japanese are famous for cleaning up everywhere they go and, since the very first Football World Cup their national team participated in (France 1998), Japanese fans have been shocking the world with their post-game ritual of picking up trash from the stands and leaving them in perfect condition.
Moreover, Japan has been holding local contests since 2008, and today hundreds of competitions are organized every year.

There are also other rules, from safety rules like being prohibited from picking up trash near roads or railway tracks to sportsmanship rules like respecting the other teams.
Participants all wear heavy-duty cleaning gloves that allow them to pick up virtually any type of trash without being grossed out, as well as tongs to pick up trash from a standing position.
At the start of the competition, they all yell “Picking up trash is a sport!” before running into their allotted areas.
At the end of the allotted time, all participants return to the starting line to have their loot weighed and checked.

Winning teams usually receive a certificate or a trophy from the organizers, and sometimes a small prize from sponsors.
But SpoGomi isn’t really about rewards, as participants just enjoy the competitive nature of the sport, working as a team, spending valuable time outdoors and, last but certainly not least, keeping their cities clean.

“We believe it is important to collect litter in cities because there has been a sharp increase in the amount of waste in oceans around the world, so it is best if we can collect that trash before it gets into the ocean as it is much harder to gather at that point,” said Takayasu Udagawa, who is overseeing the first SpoGomi World Cup.

“Picking up litter can be fun if you make it a game to compete in,” SpoGOMI ambassador and Olympic swimming medalist Takeshi Matsuda said during a press conference in Tokyo. “Anyone can take part, regardless of age and sex.”