Outrage as Olympic swimming pool bans women from ‘men only’ sessions for ‘cultural reasons’ with bathers required to cover ‘navel to knee’

A swimming pool has introduced gender segregated sessions with bathers required to cover up from “navel to knee” for “cultural reasons”.

The Inspire Sports Village in Stopsley, Luton, Beds., built using taxpayer-funded Olympic money, will give men exclusive access to the larger 50 metre competitive pool on Friday evenings, while women will be able to use the smaller 20 metre community pool.

On Facebook, the gender-segregated sessions were advertised saying “Alhamdulliah swimming is back” – a phrase which thanks God for his blessings.

Posters promoting the event, which were implemented last Friday, say that “navel to knee must be covered”.

According to the 2011 census, a quarter of the population in Luton are Muslim, making Islam the second most common religion in the town after Christianity.

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