Always at the forefront of innovative initiatives, the Japanese gave birth to a new sport. is he spogomyis an abbreviation of the words ‘gomi’, which means sport and garbage. It simply consists of a small team of people to try. Collecting the largest amount of waste in a given time. Whoever manages to accumulate the most amount wins.
SpoGomi is an event that was born in Japan in 2008. combines sport and activism in advocating for the environment. The word comes from the terms Sport and Gomihiroi (which means garbage collection in Japanese).
After 15 years celebrating the SpoGomi championship in the Japanese country, this 2023 competition has been taken to twenty countries around the world, including France, Belgium, United Kingdom, Italy, Brazil, Canada, United States, Thailand and Vietnam. others.
Now coming to Spain for the first time, because Next Sunday, June 18, the Spanish leg of the SpoGomi World Cup will be held. This first race in Spain will be held in the city of Barcelona and will qualify for the world championship to be held in Japan in November.
The competition is organized by the Society for the Conservation of Natural Ecosystems (CEN), Plastic Attack Barcelona and The Nippon Foundation. Participation is free, inclusive (e.g. wheelchair accessible) and open to everyone, simply create a qualifying group of three and register at the link below: https:// /assoc-cen.org/ spogomi/.
Maximum amount of waste in one hour
During the test on June 18, About thirty teams (each consisting of three people and always accompanied by a judge) will have to collect the maximum amount of waste for one hour.
The teams will then have 20 minutes to separate the collected waste into different recycling fractions before presenting it to the jury. The score is determined according to the weight of the amount of residue obtained and the type of residue.. “For example, cigarette butts get top marks because they’re small and light, but they’re very harmful to the environment and health,” explains Ricard Rodríguez, one of the event’s managers.
The organization will provide reusable bags from the Let’s Clean Up Europe campaign to collect the waste, reusable gloves and tongs to collect the waste. Event T-shirts will also be provided, which participants will have to wear during the competition.
The regulations of the SPOGOMI competition are designed to provide equal conditions for all participants, regardless of physical condition and age, so that teamwork and strategy are given priority, so that “any team can win”.
The prize is to go to the World Cup in Japan
The winning team will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Tokyo. to participate in the SpoGomi world championship from November 20-23 this year.
SPOGOMI regulations are very strict and some regulations include a ban on running and the requirement to maintain a distance of less than 10 meters between members of the same team. Accepted types of waste include plastic containers, glass bottles, cardboard boxes, cigarette butts or organic residues, among others. But, The collection of bulky or dangerous objects is not allowed.
“We find a very good welcome among the people of Barcelona. The idea is that this test becomes widespread in Spain and people realize it,” says Rodríguez. This co-promoter remembers that “even if an area looks clean, there’s always loose debris around,” as demonstrated every time a SpoGomi contest is held.
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Contact address of the environment department: [email protected]