The British Man Who Introduced Tennis to Georgia
Chiatura is a small town in western Georgia, about three hours from Tbilisi. It is famous for its old Soviet-era cable cars and the nearby Katskhi Pillar. It is an interesting place to visit, and you can easily spend at least a day exploring the town and its surroundings.
However, in this blog post, I am not going to tell you about the attractions mentioned above. Instead, I would like to share a fascinating story that is not widely known, even among Georgians.
Did you know that the first tennis court in Georgia was built in Chiatura in 1892? We could say that the history of tennis in Georgia began in this small mining town. But how did it happen?
Today tennis is very popular In Georgia Nikoloz basilashvili famous Georgian tennis player was holding #16 in world ranking in 2019
At the end of the 19th century, manganese mining began to develop in Chiatura, attracting foreign companies and employees. One of the companies operating in the town was Forward and Salinas. Its director, John Tarsay, introduced a new sport to the local community: tennis. He also built the first tennis court in Chiatura, which is believed to have been the first in Georgia.
At that time, only 13 foreigners reportedly lived in the company’s community in Chiatura. One of them was connected to a remarkable story in Georgian tennis history. Ian Homeri, Greek man the son of a company employee, became a national tennis champion at the age of just 13.
Homeri later became a coach of the Georgian national tennis team. In 1928, the team he coached reportedly took second place in the Soviet Union, finishing behind the team from Moscow.
Unfortunately, Homeri’s life took a difficult turn under Soviet rule. In 1937, he was arrested and exiled to Siberia. He returned to Tbilisi in 1956.
Today, Chiatura preserves the memory of this unusual chapter in Georgian sporting history. In 2022, a tennis court museum opened in the town to commemorate the place where tennis first took root in Georgia.
So, if you visit Chiatura, don’t miss this historic site. Beyond its famous cable cars and spectacular landscapes, the town has a remarkable story to tell about how a British mining connection helped introduce tennis to Georgia.
Mukhran Guliashvili
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