SPOGOMI World Cup 2023 is making history in Australia – The most earth-friendly sport in which picking up rubbish is a competition.
For the first time ever, Australia is hosting a ‘rubbish pick up’ tournament, held at the iconic Manly beach in Sydney on August 26. The winning team will be invited and sponsored to fly to Japan to compete at the SPOGOMI Olympics in November 2023.
Marine litter is an increasingly serious problem worldwide. It’s estimated that about 80% of marine litter comes from cities, and picking up rubbish is crucial not only to help alleviate the problem but also to raise awareness in our communities.
SPOGOMI is a sport invented in 2008 by the representative of Social Sports Initiative, Mamitsuka Kenichi and is now turned into a global competition to increase its impact. The aim is to create a proactive approach and a global movement that transcends national and generational boundaries. SPOGOMI aims to reduce litter that eventually ends up in our ocean.
SPOGOMI is an abbreviation of “Sport Gomihiroi (picking up trash)”, a sport in which teams compete against each other for points awarded according to the amount and the type of rubbish picked up in a given area, within a set time limit.
“Our meditation community is regularly engaged in cleaning up our beaches and parks, so we are very excited to be bringing this world competition to Australian shores,” explains Jason Partington, co-host of SPOGOMI and the founder of MeditationHQ.
Well-known personalities such as Layne Beachley, 7 times world surf champion and Takeshi Mastuda – Japanese Olympian Swimmer will be present at the Australian event to share a few words and announce the winning team.
“It’s amazing to see so much support of this important initiative not only by the local council and community but also by well-known role models who truly care about our ocean.” Franziska Iseli, co-host and the founder of Oceanlovers and Basic Bananas adds, “we are super excited for Australia to be a part of this movement!”
Event details:
SPOGOMI Australia Tournament:
When: Saturday, 26th of August 2023 10am to 12.30pm
Where: South Steyne Park, Manly Beach
SPOGOMI World Cup:
When: 20th to 23rd of November 2023
Where: Tokyo, Japan
For more information visit https://meditationhq.com.au/
First published in 2003, Eco Voice is your go-to publication for sustainability news in Australia. Eco Voice prides itself as an independent news platform with a clear focus on sustainability, with articles coming from a diverse range of contributors – all levels of government, corporations, not-for-profits, community groups, small to medium sized businesses, universities, research organisations, together with input from international sources. Eco Voice values community, conservation and commerce. Eco Voice is a media partner of the prestigious Australian Banksia Sustainability Awards – The Peak Sustainability Awards.
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