Photos: Litter-hunters vie for unusual world title in Tokyo

Photos

Login / Sign Up

Sunday, November 24, 2024

Gold / Forex

Photos: Litter-hunters vie for unusual world title in Tokyo

Spogomi World Cup saw 21 countries battle it out to collect the most rubbish

Published: November 22, 2023 14:20 Compiled by Nathaniel Lacsina, Senior Web Editor and with inputs from AFP

1 of 12

2023-11-22T091256Z_1562755937_RC21I4AVSSBG_RTRMADP_3_JAPAN-TRASH-(Read-Only) — Tokyo: Tokyo's well-kept streets may not be the most obvious place to do it, but competitive litter-hunters on Wednesday sifted through the Japanese capital in their first world championship. Image Credit: Reuters

2 of 12

981982-01-02-(Read-Only) — The Spogomi World Cup saw 21 countries battle it out to collect the most rubbish within a set time limit, scouring the streets in search of plastic, cigarette butts and other trash. Image Credit: AFP

3 of 12

981983-01-02-(Read-Only) — Spogomi founder Kenichi Mamitsuka started to pick up litter on his morning runs and realised that setting targets could turn it into a fun activity. He organised his first competition 15 years ago, taking the title from the words "sport" and "gomi" - Japanese for rubbish. Image Credit: AFP

4 of 12

981981-01-02-(Read-Only) — He said watching the event's maiden world championship was "like a dream", but he optimistically believes it can grow to an even bigger scale. "If you form national spogomi associations, my ambition is that it could become an Olympic demonstration event," he told AFP in front of a portion of the almost 550 kilos (1,200 pounds) of rubbish collected by participants. Image Credit: AFP

5 of 12

2023-11-22T091256Z_1848570953_RC21I4AQVZSQ_RTRMADP_3_JAPAN-TRASH-(Read-Only) — Armed with gloves, metal tongs and plastic rubbish bags, each team of three roamed a roughly five-square-kilometre (two square mile) collection area in Tokyo's bustling Shibuya district. Image Credit: Reuters

6 of 12

2023-11-22T090805Z_329898394_RC23I4ABYYI1_RTRMADP_3_JAPAN-TRASH-(Read-Only) — Running, ransacking existing litter bins and shadowing other teams were all forbidden, with each team followed by a referee to enforce the rules. In both of the morning and afternoon sessions, they had 45 minutes to hunt out rubbish and another 20 to sort it into categories. Image Credit: Reuters

7 of 12

981976-01-02-(Read-Only) — Points were awarded based on volume and type, with small items such as cigarette ends scoring highly. Australia's Petrya Williams said that her team had "found some great spots that are like treasure maps". "I think we've got it for the next round, we know where to look," she said, as she and her team-mates waited to weigh their haul. Image Credit: AFP

8 of 12

981993-01-02-(Read-Only) — Each team had to earn the right to represent their country in Tokyo by winning national competitions. Reasons for their involvement varied. Australia's Jamie Gray said his team belonged to a meditation group and "clean-up is part of our philosophy". Image Credit: AFP

9 of 12

981988-01-02-(Read-Only) — France's team arrived with something of an advantage - all three members work in the refuse collection industry. "We have a flair for it," said Usman Khan, 32. Image Credit: AFP

10 of 12

981694-01-02-(Read-Only) — At the end of the day, Britain were declared the winners after collecting 57 kg of rubbish. Image Credit: AFP

11 of 12

981696-01-02-(Read-Only) — Spogomi founder Mamitsuka believes changing the way people think about rubbish is key. He says that people thought he was "making fun of activities that contribute to society" at first. Image Credit: AFP

12 of 12

981816-01-02-(Read-Only) — But then he began to hear stories about people getting involved and passing on good habits to their children. "It made me think that I should keep going," he added. "Our target is to have spogomi events in 50 countries by 2030." Image Credit: AFP

Latest In

Max Verstappen joins elite list of F1 drivers

14 minutes ago
Saudia pilot braves Storm Bert to land safely in London

25 minutes ago
Saudi Arabia detains nearly 20,000 illegals in a week

42 minutes ago
Scaffolding and traffic chaos as pope’s Jubilee nears

60 minutes ago
Afghan women turn to entrepreneurship under Taliban

1 hour ago

This website stores cookies on your computer. These cookies are used to improve your experience and provide more personalized service to you. Both on your website and other media. To find out more about the cookies and data we use, please check out our Privacy Policy.

Photos News

Trending