If someone told you litter picking could be a competitive sport – complete with rules, referees, global teams and even a World Cup – you might not believe them. But SpoGomi, a fast-growing Japanese-born sport, is proving that cleaning up the planet, can be exciting, strategic and surprisingly addictive.

Rooted in community action and powered by the spirit of gamification, Spogomi is reshaping how people around the world think about environmental responsibility.

As part of our Climate Cup initiative, over 65 students took part in Loughborough’s first ever Spogomi race, showing the fun behind climate action.

Where it all began

Spogomi was created by Kenichi Mamitsuka, a Japanese runner who began picking up trash on his morning jogs around 2008 and realised how the fun he was having with it. This led to the development of the sport ‘Spogomi’ (Source: National Geographic)

The name combines the word ‘sport’ and the Japanese word for trash ‘gomi’. Today, the sport has spread far beyond Japan and continues to grow in popularity worldwide.

How Spogomi Works:

Spogomi has a formal rulebook and strict competitive structure. Teams – usually groups of 3, have a limited amount of time (often 45-60 minutes) to collect as much litter as they can within a designated area.

Players must obey several rules:

• No running, speed walking only
• Teams must stay close, typically within 10 metres of each other
• Only fallen litter counts – nothing already in bins
• Sorting matters – after collecting, teams get a certain amount of time to sort items correctly for scoring. Incorrect sorting can lead to point deductions

(Source: National Geographic)

Scoring rewards both quantity and type of waste. High-impact items such as cigarette butts score especially well because they’re harmful, abundant and difficult to collect.

Spogomi flips the script on environmental activism by providing a fun, social, physical and rewarding space for action.

Loughborough’s first Spogomi

As part of the Climate Cup, 16 Athletic Union clubs took part in Loughborough’s first SpoGomi race in March. Teams including gymnastics, lifesaving and hockey, raced around Loughborough town centre to gather as much litter as they could in a 45-minute time slot. The winning team collected more than 28kg of litter from Loughborough’s streets, with the event clearing a staggering 281kg of rubbish from the town centre in total.

Sources:Inside spogomi, the growing competitive sport of picking up trash | National Geographic