German court rules women must be allowed to compete in traditional fishing event

Fischertag participants compete to catch the biggest fish in a Bavarian stream (Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa via AP)

A German court has ruled that women cannot be excluded from a traditional event – dating back to the 16th century – in which fishermen compete to catch the biggest fish in a stream running through a Bavarian town.

The state court in Memmingen said the group that organises the town’s Fischertag, or fishermen’s day, must allow female members to participate in the climax of the annual summer event, which features people jumping into the stream with nets to catch trout. Whoever catches the biggest fish is crowned the “fishermen’s king”.