Britain wins inaugural litter picking World Cup

by - 22-11-2023 | 4:06 PM

Britain on Wednesday (22) won the first World Cup of a Japanese-invented sport scored on the basis of the variety and amount of litter collected.

Host Japan finished runner-up as 21 participating countries collected litter in Tokyo's Shibuya and Omotesando districts for 45 minutes each in the morning and afternoon.

The sport, launched in 2008, is called "SpoGOMI," derived from the word "sport" and "gomi" -- the Japanese word for trash

Drenched in sweat, three-member teams looked for empty cans and cigarette butts on roadsides and between buildings.

Competitors collected a total of 548 kilograms of litter, according to organizers.

"It's frustrating because we wanted to win this event," said Tomoe Takahashi, a member of the Japanese team from Niigata Prefecture. "But I hope more people around the world will be interested in environmental issues."

The second SpoGOMI World Cup is scheduled to be held in Tokyo in 2025.

Story and Image Source: Kyodo News