• At the start of the week, the Grenoble city council voted to authorize wearing a burkini or having bare breasts at the edge of the commune's pools.

  • In Toulouse, the internal rules of the swimming pools, in force since 2017, have settled the question, and these two outfits are not authorized.

  • The municipality, which does not intend to reopen the debate, puts forward arguments of safety and hygiene, and relies on the opinion of the Council of Elders of Secularism.

It must be hot, very hot.

This week, we even broke records.

And the inhabitants of Toulouse are not going to hesitate to go for a splash in the swimming pools of the Pink City this weekend, even if all the outdoor pools are not yet open.

While the town hall of Grenoble has just adopted in the municipal council a new regulation authorizing in particular the wearing of the burkini or topless bathing, in Toulouse, neither of these two outfits is authorized.

Lycra t-shirt for kids

And that should not change because the question of what can be done, put or not in the Toulouse basins was decided in 2017, when the new internal regulations were promulgated.

Article 11 details these provisions.

“Access to the pool is only in proper bathing attire, thongs and bare breasts prohibited.

Before specifying that bathers must wear specific bathing clothes for the practice of an aquatic activity, that of women being: a bathing suit, one or two pieces, traditional.

Exit also the wide shorts that boys like.

“Any other type of clothing is only authorized on medical prescription, such as a lycra t-shirt for example” continues the regulation which recalls that the cap is compulsory.

Except for children under 10 who can have this kind of protective clothing from the sun without a medical certificate.

“The rules are clear and we have no requests that go back to the burkini or any other type of outfit.

And there is no question of derogating from it for several reasons.

The first concerns hygiene, because the more covering there is, the more organic matter there is and the more it pollutes.

But also safety issues, because in the event of drowning this can hinder the rescue of swimmers.

The Council of Elders of Secularism has also issued recommendations that we are following on these issues, ”explains Laurence Arribagé, Toulouse sports assistant.

The position of the Council of Elders invoked

A vade-mecum on "Freedom of expression, neutrality and secularism in the field of physical and sports activities" which was produced last March but only published in May.

It is stated there that “people using municipal swimming pools are users of the public service.

The principle of secularism is not directly applicable to them”.

But it is also specified that, "however, considerations related to the minimum requirements of living together in a democratic society or the prevention of disturbances to public order that may be caused by the wearing of these outfits, may justify a ban the principle of the free manifestation of religious beliefs in the public space".

The Council of Elders therefore refers to the managing municipality, responsible for “setting these rules in its internal regulations”.

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