Homer, Yan Homerovich

Jan Homerovich Homer ( Georgian იან ჰომერის ძე ჰომერი ; March 31, 1898 , Paris - November 12, 1981 , Tbilisi ) - the founder of Georgian tennis. Honored Coach of Georgia, Honored Worker of Physical Culture and Sports of Georgia (1968).

Father is a lawyer, mother Elizabeth Bono-Grimaldi is a linguist in the field of Western European languages. The family of Yani Homer moved to Georgia at the beginning of the 20th century in the city of Chiatura , where Yani's father began working at Forward and Salinas, an English manganese ore beneficiation company. In Chiatura, Jan Homer began playing tennis and at the age of 13 became the champion of the city.

Ian Homer - Batumi-1973

In 1916, the family moved to Tbilisi and settled on Mikhailovsky Avenue in house 117 (currently David Agmashenebeli Avenue ), where three tennis courts were located in the courtyard. In 1918 - 1927, Jan Homer became the permanent champion of Georgia, and in 1928 , as a playing coach, he led the Georgian national team to second place at the 1st Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR.

Jan Homer brought up many wonderful tennis players, but special mention should be made of multiple USSR champions Eduard Negrebetskoy and Archil Mdivani . In 1937, the famous French tennis player Henri Kauche arrives in Tbilisi, who, while saying goodbye to Jani Homer, presented him with an autographed photo: “A seasoned and handsome tennis professor with best wishes - Henri Kaucher”.

In 1937, the Homer family was repressed - the brothers Marcel and Georges were shot, and Jan received 10 years in the camps and 5 years in exile. Only in 1955, Jan Homer returned to Tbilisi, in 1956 he was rehabilitated.

In 1998, in connection with the centenary of Jani Homer, a memorial plaque was opened on the house where the maestro lived, and in 2006 the tennis stadium JAN HOMER STADIUM was built.