The pool at the "Boris Trajkovski" sports centre in Karposh is staying open for the summer season - the building's renovation won't begin until the autumn. After initial announcements about a possible closure for a thorough overhaul, the centre confirmed the pool will operate all summer.

The decision, as they explain it, was made because of the urgent need for facilities like this in Skopje. "Given the urgent need, we decided to carry out the work in the summer months in order to secure conditions for swimmers to train, and to give the clubs time to find alternative spaces for the autumn," the centre said.

The renovation will be a serious one - the roof, the pool basin, the underground infrastructure, the changing rooms. The exact cost isn't yet known; it will be set once the whole project is finalised. The head of the swimming federation proposed adding a fitness centre for athletes as well.

The decision to push the closure to autumn is reasonable - at least someone realised that a pool closed through the summer is a pool closed exactly when it's needed most. The question that remains is whether the renovation will really start in the autumn, or whether "autumn" will become one of those Balkan promises that get dragged from one season to the next. The people of Skopje, who have waited years for decent pools, will judge by the deeds, not by the press release.