Göttingen to allow topless swimming

The German city of Göttingen will allow women to bathe topless at the public pool, becoming the first place in the country to enable female swimmers to go bare-breasted after a gender identity row.

The sports committee of the city in Lower Saxony has recommended that all swimmers at indoor and outdoor pools should be allowed to swim topless at weekends starting May 1, a spokesman for the local authorities said.

Test phase

The spokesman added that a test phase will be effective until August 31.

The recommendation was made by the committee after a swimmer was asked to cover up at a local pool. The swimmer protested, however, saying he identified as male. Despite the assertion, the pool authority expelled the individual, who was subsequently banned from the premises, the spokesman said.

Germany's relaxed attitude to nudity

The majority of saunas in Germany are mixed sex but still require customers to strip off for hygienic reasons.

Additionally, Germany has a popular nudist movement known as "FKK" — which stands for Freikörperkultur, or free body culture.

But until now, women at public swimming pools across Germany were expected to cover their breasts, and like men, their nether regions.

jsi/msh (AFP, dpa)