Boris Trajkovski pool in Skopje closed, renovation delayed until next year

The Boris Trajkovski swimming pool in Skopje has been closed after storm damage and will not reopen for renovation this year, forcing clubs and families to move training to a privately run Olympic pool with significantly higher fees.

There is no other state- or municipality-operated Olympic-size pool in Skopje. A new pool inside the Partizan sports hall in Karpoš municipality was inaugurated in June, but it is shallow (0.80–1.20 m), only 9 m wide and 25 m long, and is not yet in regular operation.

The city's main Olympic Pool "Center" is operated under a private concession. Clubs that moved there say the prices for both recreational swimming and organised training have roughly doubled. “My two children train in swimming. At 'Boris Trajkovski' I paid 5,500 denars per month for both children, and now that they moved to the Olympic pool I pay 10,000 denars. Not only is it more expensive, but there's also a fight for lanes because there are many children,” says a Skopje resident whose children have trained for several years.

Closure, timeline and temporary arrangements

The Boris Trajkovski pool was closed in July after the facility's roof was carried away during severe weather. The pool director, Daniel Apostolovski, said the works will be a full reconstruction rather than a simple roof repair, and that the process is expected to take roughly a year and a half.

Although a tender for a contractor had been announced for August and construction was expected to start in November, the tender has not yet been published. Because of that delay, renovation will not begin this calendar year and the closure is expected to last about two years.

To ease the situation, the Swimming Federation director Sasho Lazarevski said that from 1 October the small pool at the Partizan hall will be put at the federation's disposal for club training. “It is a smaller pool, it has only four lanes and there the younger children from the clubs will train. Prices will be as in 'Boris Trajkovski'. For the water polo teams and the swimming clubs we have signed an agreement with the Olympic pool. This is a private pool and therefore the prices are higher,” Lazarevski said.

Coaches and parents warn that the shortage of public training space and the higher costs at private facilities will strain club budgets and family finances during the reconstruction period.

Photo: SDK.MK)