Read at 3 different speeds

Teams play in rubbish competition - 27th October 2023

'Spogomi' is the perfect sport for recycling. Players collect rubbish from the streets. The name Spogomi comes from Japan, where the sport was first played. Gomi means rubbish and spo is for sport.

Sivasit Wanarungson's playing Spogomi in Thailand.

"We are runners, we love running. And Spogomi, Spogomi means sport and 'gomi' means garbage. We love to collect and separate the waste and we love sporting. So I think this activity matches for us."

In Spogomi, players work in teams of three people. Each team is given a different one kilometre area to work in.

Players have to follow the rules. They can’t leave their team’s area. If they do, the team loses points and it may have to leave the competition. Players can’t use transport, run, or enter private property.

Teams have an hour to collect rubbish. After that, they have to separate the rubbish for recycling in 20 minutes. The rubbish has to be organised into different bags for plastic, paper, glass, etc. Every kilo of rubbish which a team collects and separates wins them points.

Spogomi’s now become so popular that there’s a Spogomi world cup. This is taking place in Japan in November.

The sport’s a reminder that recycling’s important. Our rubbish pollutes the oceans.

Tokayasu Udagawa’s helping to organise the world cup.

"We created the Spogomi because the marine litter problem is becoming a serious problem all over the world. The litter is not from the sea but from the land. The trash littered goes into the ocean through the rivers, so we have to pick up the trash."