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SUPOGOMI LAST RESORT SPORT

By Min Jung KIM , Thomas MAITLAND

Documentary - Pre-Production 2025

In 2007, during his daily run, Kenichi Mamitsuka, the founder of "Supo Gomi” began picking up litter, sparking the idea for a competition. By May 2008, the first "Supo Gomi" event was already held in Shibuya. Now, it boasts 140,000 participants from 20 countries worldwide.

- Year of production
- 2025
- Genres
- Documentary, Environmental, First film
- Countries
- KOREA (South), JAPAN
- Languages
- JAPANESE, ENGLISH-UNITED STATES
- Budget
- 0.6 - 1 M$
- Duration
- 90 mn
- Director(s)
- Min Jung KIM , Thomas MAITLAND
- Producer(s)
- Emi UEYAMA (ARTICLE FILMS)
- Synopsis
- n 2007, during his daily run, Kenichi Mamitsuka, the founder of "Supo Gomi” began picking up litter, sparking the idea for a competition. By May 2008, the first "Supo Gomi" event was already held in Shibuya. Now, it boasts 140,000 participants from 20 countries worldwide.
  "Supo Gomi" is a new sport where teams compete to collect the most garbage within a set time frame. teams consist of three members, with a competition duration of 60 minutes. They collect as much trash as possible from designated areas, sorting it into categories such as recyclables, combustibles, and non-combustibles, and earn points based on the weight of the collected items.
  "The ultimate goal of Supo Gomi is to eliminate litter from the streets worldwide."
  Mamitsuka Says. By making the garbage issue tangible, Mamitsuka hopes to spark interest in global waste problems.
  On November 22, 2023, the inaugural "Supo Gomi World Cup" took place.
  The World Cup, features representatives from various countries, for this event, qualifying tournaments, and national championships. Of course, this event witnessed numerous dramas and memorable moments.
  Following the impressive teams that participated in the World Cup, one notable team was TEAMS - CANADA. Comprising Sylwia Magdalena Puce, Elizabeth Wai Hung Chow, and Faiyaz Khan, all children of immigrants, born to parents from Poland, Hong Kong, and Bangladesh respectively. Their backgrounds are diverse, ranging from arborist, IT technician, to community leaders.
  Faiyaz's parents made a living from cleaning. Growing up in poverty without toys, he played with toilet paper rolls and empty cans. His parents take pride in their son's participation in the sport that became their livelihood. Faiyaz declares, "I want to be the Messi of Supo Gomi." Their life and efforts in Canada are followed closely and more to Faiyaz's story.
  Another Impressive team was TEAMS - INDIA. represented by Sharun, Amrit, and Madhusudhanan, who are members of the "Environmentalist Foundation of India" (E.F.I). For the past decade, they have volunteered in cleaning and restoring coastlines and water bodies across India. E.F.I focuses on wildlife conservation and habitat restoration, conducting clean-up and regeneration efforts for biodiversity.
  In India's past, there existed a caste system. The caste system rigidly stratified society, determining people's lives and occupations from birth. Under this system, individuals belonging to specific castes were expected to fulfill certain occupations.
  As a result, workers in professions such as garbage collection and sanitation were relegated to the lower rungs of the caste hierarchy, often facing social prejudice and discrimination. These occupations were deemed "unclean" and tended to be socially scorned.
  They joined the "Supo Gomi World Cup" to spread the message that litter-picking is an enjoyable and enriching sport. The story follows their activities with the "E.F.I" in India.