At the forefront of innovative initiatives, the Japanese introduced a new sport that blends play with purpose. SpoGomi is short for sport and gomihiroi, the Japanese words for sport and garbage collection. It features a small team race to collect as much waste as possible within a set time, with the largest haul earning the win.
SpoGomi began in Japan in 2008, merging sport with environmental advocacy. The term combines sport with gomihiroi, meaning garbage collection in Japanese.
After fifteen years of celebrating the SpoGomi championship in Japan, the 2023 edition expanded to twenty countries worldwide, including France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Italy, Brazil, Canada, the United States, Thailand, and Vietnam, among others.
Spain joins the circuit for the first time, and next Sunday, June 18, the Spanish leg of the SpoGomi World Cup will be held. The inaugural race in Spain will take place in Barcelona and will qualify teams for the world championship scheduled in Japan in November.
It is a thriving sport globally among communities that care about the environment. SpoGomi is widely celebrated for turning waste into teamwork and healthy competition.
The event is organized by the Society for the Conservation of Natural Ecosystems, Plastic Attack Barcelona, and The Nippon Foundation. Participation is free and inclusive, welcoming participants of all abilities. Teams of three register through a simple process and join the competition at the venue with the necessary gear and supplies provided on site, including reusable bags, gloves, and tongs, plus event T-shirts to be worn during the contest.
Maximum waste collected in one hour
During the June 18 test, about thirty teams, each with three members and a supervising judge, will strive to collect the maximum waste within one hour. Afterward, teams have twenty minutes to sort the collected items into recycling fractions before presenting the results to a jury. Scoring depends on both the total weight and the type of waste recovered. The organizers emphasize that even small items like cigarette butts receive attention because they are light yet highly impactful to health and the environment.
The organizers supply reusable bags from an environmental cleanup campaign, along with gloves and tongs for waste collection. Participants also receive event T-shirts to wear during the competition.
Regulations ensure equal conditions for all contestants, regardless of age or physical ability, emphasizing teamwork and strategy over individual speed, with the message that any team can win.
The prize: a trip to the World Cup in Japan
The winning team earns an all-expenses-paid trip to Tokyo to participate in the SpoGomi world championship set for November 20–23 this year. The SpoGomi rules are strict and include a ban on running and a requirement to keep teammates within a ten-meter radius. Acceptable waste includes plastic containers, glass bottles, cardboard boxes, cigarette butts, and organic residues, among others. Large or dangerous items are not allowed to be collected.
Two children participate in a SpoGomi contest in a Barcelona setting, illustrating the broad appeal of the event.
Organizers note a warm reception from Barcelona residents. The aim is to broaden SpoGomi across Spain and show how everyday areas can stay clean and safe through community effort, even when an area appears tidy at first glance.
The environmental department has issued contact details for media updates related to ongoing campaigns and future SpoGomi events. Such information is shared to encourage widespread participation and education about local cleanup efforts .”