The so-called 'brown challenge' – a viral trend where pranksters defecate in swimming pools – has prompted closures across Spain, but British holidaymakers are unlikely to be affected unless they visit municipal pools.
What is the 'brown challenge'?
According to Spanish media, facilities throughout the country have been placed on alert over the trend, known locally as el reto marrón. First gaining popularity in 2018, the craze has resurfaced every summer, evolving from a joke into what some describe as a nationwide public health crisis.
Some sources claim more than 300 pools across Spain were temporarily shut last year as a result, with more recent closures reported in Galicia, Valencia, Madrid, Andalusia, La Rioja, Cantabria, and Castilla-La Mancha.
Incidents and reactions
Alcalá resident Jonathan Giraldo told digital news outlet elDiario that he and his family were evacuated from a public leisure centre in July, explaining: 'The lifeguards started saying we had to leave, that someone had defecated in the pool.'
Meanwhile, Zamora councillor for sports, Manuel Alonso, said the city's pools had been forced to close for cleaning six times already this year following similar incidents, but admitted it had been 'very difficult to identify the people responsible'.
Is it a real threat?
Whether this is a legitimate epidemic or isolated accidents amplified by social media hysteria is up for debate. TikTok and Instagram searches don't turn up any videos or photos of the trend actually taking place, despite participants supposedly seeking online clout.
Thus far, there have been no reported incidents outside of municipal pools and one private swimming club in Seville. So, unless you're venturing out of your hotel to local lidos on your trip, you likely won't encounter any rogue floaters.
Pool hygiene beyond Spain
Unfortunately, no pool is truly poo-free. Back in 2016, a pool in Scotland had to repeatedly close down because people wouldn't stop leaving floaters in the water, and the following year, a number of outlets claimed Brits had started a similar trend called 'logging' in European holiday resorts.
Most pools have protocols in place for such incidents, with staff calling out a 'code brown' over the tannoy. A study from the US-based Centre for Disease Control found the average swimmer offloads at least 0.14g of faecal matter into a swimming pool within the first 15 minutes of entering.
