Barcelona Confirms Women Can Swim Topless In City Pools
(CNN) -- It's OK for women to bathe topless in Barcelona's city-run pools, authorities have confirmed, after complaints that some swimming spots were discriminating against those wanting to bare more.
Campaign group Mugrons Lliures filed a complaint about inconsistencies in rules governing topless bathing at certain pools, prompting an investigation, according to a council statement.
In a report released at the end of June, several municipal pools were found to have rules that restricted women's rights in certain areas of the facility, according to the council.
As a result, the council's office against discrimination sent a report to every municipal pool reminding them to guarantee equality and not prevent women from going topless.
A spokeswoman for Barcelona council told CNN that there is no written rule governing what people can wear at municipal pools, but discrimination based on gender is prohibited.
The spokeswoman emphasized that topless bathing is nothing new in the second-largest city in Spain.
"At most municipal pools, it has been completely normal for women to go topless for some time," she told CNN. "This is not a new initiative."
The report has been sent to every municipal pool on the recommendation that nondiscriminatory policies be applied throughout their facilities.
Mugrons Lliures celebrated the news, tweeting that Barcelona is now more "egalitarian" and "free."
The city is a hugely popular travel destination thanks to its groundbreaking food scene, unique architecture and legendary nightlife.
Plus there's a three mile long beach.
The most popular stretches of sand are only a 15-minute walk from the tangled alleys of Barcelona's oldest area, and the quieter ones to the north are easily accessible by public transit.
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