CHENNAI hosted the NEW CLIMATE SPORT – SPOGOMI 23’ – India Qualifiers

The winning team from Chennai goes to Japan for the Worldcup Finals on November 2023

SPOGOMI WORLDCUP 23’ – India Stage: Trash Collection is a Sport

India’s first climate-neutral sport, the SPOGOMI World Cup 2023 India Stage, took place at Bessy Beach on July 9th, 2023, starting from 8:00 am. This unique event, organized by ViDHAI Recycling in collaboration with The Nippon Foundation, aimed to create clean and comfortable cities while having fun.

SPOGOMI, a sport originated in Japan, ingeniously transforms litter cleanup into a thrilling competitive event. SPOGOmi originated from Japan where spo means sports and Gomi hiroi means litter gathering. As part of the “Umi-to-Nippon Project – CHANGE FOR THE BLUE,” initiated by The Nippon Foundation, the SPOGOMI World Cup 2023 India Stage was designed to engage participants in a fun and engaging way, while fostering a sense of responsibility towards our ocean.

People from various parts of the country joined this mega beach cleaning event to promote sustainability. 50 teams consisting of three individuals per team participated in the competition. People of almost all ages took part in the event. The teams were given one hour to collect trash, and the team collecting the maximum amount of trash wins.

The event was presided over by the Consul General of Japan, Mr. Masa Yugi Saga, Mr Takayasu Udaawa, Program manager overlooking the SPOGOMI Wordcup in 20 countries and Mr Sudhakar, Executive Director, SOLiDPRO. The team of Amrit, Madhushudhan and Sharun (Team 24) from Chennai won the India Qualifiers by scoring 6500 points, while the second-place team had a score of 2800 points while around 400Kg of segregated trash was picked up in 60 minutes battle. They are now set to represent India in the Worldcup in Japan in November 2023. The winners of the Art Competition conducted by Vidhai Recycling on the theme of Air Pollution were also awarded by the Chief Guests.

“The SPOGOMI World Cup provides people from all walks of life, regardless of nationality or age,with a chance to actively contribute to the reduction of ocean debris,” says Divya P Venkat, Founder at ViDHAI Recycling. “By participating in this sport, individuals gained awareness about the impact of littering, the  importance of ocean conservation, and the significant role they can play in protecting marine life and fragile ecosystems.” 

To conclude, all the participants and volunteers left the beach with the satisfaction of contributing to the sustainability of the marine ecosystem, and the event was a great success.