Have you ever heard of a sport called Spogomi? It’s an abbreviation for Sport Gomihiroi meaning ‘picking up trash’. The sport was first launched in 2008 by Mamitsuka Kenichi, and has since grown into a global competition and movement.
Marine litter, and in particular plastic waste in our oceans, is a growing global issue . The Spogomi World Cup aims to tackle this problem and raise awareness within our communities about the importance of keeping our beaches and oceans clean.
Australia’s first Spogomi competition was recently held at Manly beach in Sydney, where 26 teams consisting of three people each, competed to earn points based on the amount and type of rubbish collected within a designated area and a set time limit.
We are proud to announce that the winner of that competition is team Igniting Sparks consisting of BINGO’s Driver Trainer Coordinator Doug Williams, his wife Petra, and their friend Jason who brought Spogomi to Australia.
The team has been awarded an invitation and sponsorship to fly to Japan where they will be representing Australia at the Spogomi Olympics in November 2023!
“The competition has been a great experience for us, raising awareness for an important cause and shining a light on how we all can lead by example to improve the environment in a fun and competitive way,” said Doug.
“Having been in the waste industry for decades, reducing waste and making sure we recycle waste correctly to keep waste away from our environment, is close to my heart. This also aligns with our BINGO vision of a waste free Australia.”
“Each and everyone of us can contribute to making our environment and our communities more sustainable,” said Petra Williams.
“Everything we have comes from nature, so we need to care for it better. Most people expect governments or organisations to do something about it, but we are all part of the solution.
“The competition is a great example of how each of us can get involved in a way that brings the community together, and promotes wellbeing and connection to nature.”
What’s next?
Doug and his team are now gearing up for the Spogami World Cup held in Japan in November.
The goal is to continue raising awareness for this global movement and ultimately reduce waste in our oceans and environment.
They are currently working with their sponsors to create their outfits for the World Cup, and the rumour is that they’re going old school.
Congratulations again to Doug and his team! We’ll be sure to follow up with Doug and his wife as we get closer to the event. BINGO is looking forward to support Doug during the event and we are working with the team to see if we can sponsor the uniforms for the event.
Visit the website for more information about the Spogomi World Cup here.