The Trash Titans trio of Junior Trevor, David Wu, and William Denson are heading to Japan in October after winning the inaugural Solomon Islands Qualifiers for the Nippon Foundation Spogomi World Cup.
The three emerged victorious among 16 teams of three participants in the country’s first ever Spogomi event, held at the Multi-Purpose Hall on Sunday.
Spogomi, short for “Sport Gomihiroi,” is a competitive sport that originated in Japan, where teams collect litter within a set time and area, earning points based on the quantity and type of trash collected.
In an interview with Star Sports, team leader Junior Trevor shared that their win came as a surprise.
“We are very happy to be the first Solomon Islands Spogomi champions. To be honest, we weren’t expecting to win, but I think we not only worked hard, we executed our game plan really well and it’s a dream come true to go to Japan,” he said.
Trevor explained that they first learned about the event on social media and decided to give it a try.
“Since the sport is new to everyone, we researched the competition rules and scoring system. Then, we planned our strategy two days before the event. I think that’s what gave us the edge and we had the highest overall score,” he added.
With no prior experience in the sport, the trio is now preparing to represent the Solomon Islands on the world stage with Trevor stating that they are determined to give it their best shot.
“Even though we’re new to this, we’re going to give it our all in our World Cup debut. Many people think it’s just trash picking, but it really comes down to tactics and how well you plan your picking,” he said.
Trevor also highlighted how well-suited the sport is for youth in the Solomon Islands.
“It doesn’t require intense training like soccer or rugby. All you need is a solid plan,” he noted.
He encouraged other young people to look out for more Spogomi competitions in the future.
“It’s not just about the sport, it also helps keep our town clean, which I saw firsthand on Sunday,” he added.
The first Spogomi World Cup was held in Japan in November 2023, with Great Britain taking the top prize.
This year’s event will see the Solomon Islands competing against 30 other countries from around the world.
By TIMOTHY INIFIRI JNR
Solomon Star, Honiara
