:''See also Nude recreation. See History of nudity for information about nudity in sports in historical times.''
'Nudity in sport', i.e. playing sports without any clothing, is uncommon, but has not been totally absent from ancient or current sporting activities.

Contents

History

Streaking

Private clubs

Organized events

Sport contests

Running and biking events

See also

References

External links

History

In ancient Sparta, the Gymnopaedia was a yearly celebration during which naked youths displayed their athletic and martial skills through the medium of dancing
Nudity in sport in the modern context became popular only in the 19th century. Nudity in this context was most common in Germany and the Nordic countries, where "Body culture" (also known as "FKK") was very much revered. However, social nudism was outlawed for a time, and later rigidly controlled by Nazi ideologues in the 1930's and '40's ( - see "History" in the article on Naturism).
In the Nordic countries, with their sauna culture, nude swimming in rivers or lakes was a very popular tradition. In the summer, there would be wooden bathhouses, often of considerable size accommodating numerous swimmers, built partly over the water; hoardings prevented the bathers from being seen from outside. Originally the bathhouses were for men only; today there are usually separate sections for men and women.
A group from the southern U.S., having been invited in the 1950s to participate in a university students' swimming competition in Stockholm, was surprised to find at their arrival at the (indoor) swimming pool that their swimming trunks were out of place; they had to swim stark naked like their Swedish colleagues.

Streaking

An occasional, often illegal, naked sideshow is when a member of the public, not an athlete, uses a sports venue to perform as a streaker.

Private clubs

It is not uncommon for private clubs with male-only or female-only facilities to allow (for example) nude swimming. Some argue that in more private environments (whether at home or in, say a single-gender bathhouse), the less clothing one has on when exercising or doing any activity the better.
Nudist clubs traditionally offer members and guests of both sexes the opportunity to swim nude. Many own or lease facilities that allow other sports to be played, including volleyball, tennis, badminton, bowling and the like. Typically these sports are played at a recreational level of intensity, and need not be particularly competitive.

Organized events

Sport contests

One of the most popular events in naked sport is the international ''Alps Adria Meeting''. In 2007, this annual contest will take place for the 35th time in the camping ground ''Kažela'' close to Medulin/Croatia (June, 7th to June, 10th 2007). About 150 participants are expected.
The top event of naturist sport in Europe (and perhaps worldwide) is the famous ''International Naturist Sports Week'' in Hungarian naturist camping and recreational center of Sziksósfürdő near Szeged. Since 1989, the 7-day-event takes place every summer during the last week of July. Almost 40 different forms of sport are on the agenda of this event, with almost 400 participants from all over Europe. In 2007, the event will take place from July 23 to July 29th.

Running and biking events

During the yearly Roskilde Festival (Denmark), a race for nude runners has been a popular event since the year 2002. The World Naked Bike Ride is an international clothing-optional bike ride in which participants plan, meet and ride together ''en masse'' on human-powered transport (the vast majority on bicycles, and fewer on skateboards, roller blades, roller skates) to "protest oil dependency and celebrate the power and individuality of our bodies".^[1]

See also

★ Public nudity

★
★ Naturism

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★ List of public outdoor clothes free places

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★ Streaking

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★ Nude recreation

★ Clothing-optional bike rides

★ Strip games

References

1. Official World Naked Bike Ride global web site circa June 2004

External links

★ World Naked Bike Ride (WNBR)

★ International Naturist Sports Week - official website of Naturist beach & camping, Sziksósfürdö

★ International Naturist Sports Week - documentation 1989 to 2004 (results of contests, description and galleries), official website

★ 35th Alps Adria Meeting 2007

★ Nude Sport Blog

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