Bielefeld introduce accompagnement requirement for children under ten in swimming pools

Specifically, the regulation means: Children up to and including ten years of age will only be granted access to the pool area if they are accompanied by a person who is at least 16 years old. Bielefeld is thus significantly tightening its house rules. Holders of season tickets who are younger than ten are also dependent on an accompanying person. According to the municipal utility company, compliance will be more closely monitored at the entrances.

According to the broadcaster, the background to Bielefeld's decision is also the experience of overcrowded summer days, when supervision staff cannot always maintain an overview. In North Rhine-Westphalia, several outdoor pools had already restricted access for children and young people without adequate swimming skills prior to this. For example, the outdoor pool in Verl, Westphalia, has only allowed those under 16 into the pool with an adult supervisor or with the Bronze badge since the beginning of May.

At the federal level, the Federal Association of German Swimming Pool Supervisors had demanded that children and young people under 16 without a Bronze swimming badge should only be allowed to enter outdoor pools accompanied by their parents. Association president Peter Harzheim told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND): "The Bronze badge ensures that the children are truly safe swimmers." Harzheim also spoke of a "wake-up call" for parents to take care of their children's swimming abilities early on. The Bronze rule is "a good idea for all children and young people under 16 years of age."

Support from the DLRG

Support for stricter access rules comes from the German Life Saving Association (DLRG). DLRG president Ute Vogt told RND that the responsibility for children and young people lies with their guardians and cannot be transferred to the pool staff. In view of the often crowded outdoor pools in the summer, the discussion is "understandable." At the same time, experts warn that many pools are suffering from a shortage of staff – swimming pool supervisors and lifeguards are urgently sought in numerous municipalities.

Criticism from Politics

Bundestag member Schahina Gambir of Alliance 90/The Greens criticizes the stricter access rules. She told RND that a blanket Bronze badge requirement could exclude children from financially weaker families from visiting swimming pools. "Anyone who wants to introduce a blanket Bronze badge requirement must simultaneously ensure that all children have the opportunity to learn to swim in the first place," she said. She calls for the expansion of free swimming courses at schools and in clubs.

The German Society for Bathing (DGfdB) brings another aspect into play. The higher the hurdles for visiting an outdoor pool, the more likely it is that insecure swimmers will switch to unsupervised lakes, rivers, or other bodies of water – with corresponding risks. The professional society therefore warns against a shift of problems from supervised pools.

Bielefeld is now also taking a more restrictive path with the accompagnement requirement for those under ten years old. Holders of season tickets are affected just as much as day guests. The municipal utility company announced that it would carry out random checks of the age of accompanying persons at the entrances. The company initially left open how violations would be punished in the future.