Kisela Voda school pool still closed a year after ceremonial opening
Municipality says final technical preparations and handover to the swimming federation are delaying full operation
The indoor pool at Basic School "Nevena Georgieva-Dunja" in the Municipality of Kisela Voda has still not been put into regular use despite an official opening in July 2025 attended by then-mayor Orce Gjorgievski, Sports Minister Borko Ristovski and Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski.
The facility is part of a broader five-pool construction programme launched in 2019 by the former Agency for Youth and Sport. Authorities at the opening said the pool would first serve pupils from the host school and nearby primary schools before being opened to sports clubs and the general public.
"Priority will be given to pupils of Nevena Georgieva-Dunja primary school, as well as pupils from other primary schools in the territory of the Municipality of Kisela Voda. Afterwards the pool will be available to sports clubs and to citizens," Gjorgievski said at the opening ceremony in July 2025.
Technical checks, not theft, delaying full operation
More than a year after the ribbon-cutting the pool remains closed. Several months after the opening, swimming equipment and some technical items were stolen from the site, but municipality officials say that theft is not the reason for the continuing closure.
"The Municipality of Kisela Voda has already signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Swimming Federation of Macedonia, which after the completion of these preparations will fully take over the pool. A key priority of the Municipality in this process is ensuring that the facility is available to pupils of our municipal primary schools. The pool will be opened for use soon, and the public and the media will be timely and officially informed of the exact date for commencement of operations," the Municipality of Kisela Voda said.
The need for the Kisela Voda pool has become more urgent after the Sports Centre "Boris Trajkovski" pool in Skopje was closed for two years for full reconstruction following storm damage to its roof. Young swimmers and water polo players have been relocated to a privately run Olympic pool where monthly training fees have risen from 3,000 denars to 5,000 denars. Parents say the Olympic pool cannot absorb all athletes, and smaller club pools are being used to ease pressure — underscoring the demand for the Kisela Voda facility to enter service.
Photo: Ministerstvo za sport)
