Sports bras now acceptable attire at City of Edmonton gyms

The City of Edmonton has revamped its policy when it comes to workout wear at rec centres.

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In December, Coral Wiebe was running on a treadmill at a City of Edmonton rec centre on the southeast side. She took off her tank top and finished her run in her sports bra. When she was finished running, she was approached by a staff member who told her that her outfit was not allowed.

“I found it upsetting,” Wiebe said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I found it upsetting," Wiebe said.

When she questioned the staff member about the specific policy, she says one was never produced. However, a phone call later confirmed that she wouldn’t be allowed to wear that outfit inside the gym.

“What are people supposed to do? Take a photo and send it in and say: ‘Is this appropriate for your facility?'” Wiebe asked.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "What are people supposed to do? Take a photo and send it in and say: 'Is this appropriate for your facility?'" Wiebe asked.

The city says the incident with Wiebe accelerated plans to update its clothing policy. Now, new rules have been released on the city’s website.

However, the new rules do not specifically mention sports bras and remain vague on what is appropriate.

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Wiebe especially takes issue with this line that says clothing must be: “Appropriate to the fitness/recreation environment/amenity being used, not be overly revealing, and must be mindful of the comfort of other users.”

“You’ve just opened the door to allow people to discriminate basically against anybody for any reason whatsoever,” Wiebe said.

The city says the rules published on the website will be revised again. The revision will include specific examples on what is appropriate, including sports bras.

“A sports bra is a piece of attire that is designed for working out so we are allowing that within our fitness centres,” Kampenz said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "A sports bra is a piece of attire that is designed for working out so we are allowing that within our fitness centres," Kampenz said.

The second revision to the rules could be posted to the city’s website as early as Thursday.

“There are going to be different opinions,” Kampenz said. “And we can just encourage everybody to be tolerant of one another and enjoy their workouts.”

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