Basque pelota (
Basque
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous co ...
: ''
pilota'',
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
: ''
pelota vasca'',
French: ''
pelote basque'') is the name for a variety of court sports played with a ball using one's hand, a
racket, a wooden bat or a basket, against a wall (''frontis or
fronton'') or, more traditionally, with two teams face to face separated by a line on the ground or a net. The roots of this class of games can be traced to the Greek and other ancient cultures.
The term ''
pelota Pelota (Spanish for ''ball'') can refer to the popular and shortened names for a number of ball games:
* Basque pelota
* Chaza
* Jai alai
* Mesoamerican ballgame
* Palla
* Pelota mixteca
* Valencian pilota
* Frontenis
* Pétanque
Pétanqu ...
'' probably comes from the
Vulgar Latin
Vulgar Latin, also known as Popular or Colloquial Latin, is the range of non-formal registers of Latin spoken from the Late Roman Republic onward. Through time, Vulgar Latin would evolve into numerous Romance languages. Its literary counterpa ...
term ''pilotta'' (ball game). It is a diminutive form of the word ''
pila'' which may relate to a hard linen or leather ball filled with ''
pilus
A pilus (Latin for 'hair'; plural: ''pili'') is a hair-like appendage found on the surface of many bacteria and archaea. The terms ''pilus'' and '' fimbria'' (Latin for 'fringe'; plural: ''fimbriae'') can be used interchangeably, although some r ...
'' (fur or hair) or to the Latin words for
strike
Strike may refer to:
People
* Strike (surname)
Physical confrontation or removal
*Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm
*Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...
or
spade
A spade is a tool primarily for digging consisting of a long handle and blade, typically with the blade narrower and flatter than the common shovel. Early spades were made of riven wood or of animal bones (often shoulder blades). After the a ...
and is related to the English word ''
pellet''.
Today, Basque pelota is played in several countries. In Europe, this sport is concentrated in
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
and
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, especially in the
Basque Country. The sport is also played in Latin American countries such as
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
,
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
,
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
, and
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
. Operated as a gaming enterprise called
jai alai
Jai alai (: ) is a sport involving bouncing a ball off a walled-in space by accelerating it to high speeds with a hand-held wicker ''cesta''. It is a variation of Basque pelota. The term ''jai alai'', coined by Serafin Baroja in 1875, is also of ...
, it is seen in parts of the U.S. such as
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
,
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...
, and
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...
.
In
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...
,
Valencian pilota
Valencian pilota ( ca-valencia, pilota valenciana "Valencian ball") is a traditional handball sport played in the Valencian Community. Its origins are not known.
Rules variations within the generic ''Pilota Valenciana'' category are frequent fr ...
is considered the national sport; it is also played in Belgium, northern Italy, Mexico, and Argentina.
Since its creation, the
International Federation of Basque Pelota
The International Federation of Basque Pelota ( es, Federación Internacional de Pelota Vasca (FIPV), eu, Euskal Pilotaren Nazioarteko Federakuntza) is the worldwide governing body for Basque pelota, recognized by the International Olympic Commit ...
has standardised the different varieties into four modalities and fourteen disciplines, with fixed ball weights, rules and court sizes. The four modalities— wall, wall, wall and ''trinquete''—admit fourteen disciplines, depending the use of bare hand, leather ball, rubber ball, ''paleta'' (pelota paleta), racket (frontennis) and ''xare''. Two of the fourteen disciplines are played by both men and women (frontenis and rubber pelota in trinquete); the other twelve are played only by men. This allows championship play at the international level, and allows the participation of players and teams from around the world using the same rules. There is, however, criticism about this, since purists might argue that some of the original traits of each particular modality could be lost.
Even with protection, accidents do happen. With the ball easily travelling at , pelota can kill if safety equipment is not used properly or at all; while rare, occasional deaths do occur.
History
![Ainhoa fronton et église](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Ainhoa_fronton_et_%C3%A9glise.jpg)
The origin of this sport is tied to the decline of the ancient
jeu de paume
''Jeu de paume'' (, ; originally spelled ; ), nowadays known as real tennis, (US) court tennis or (in France) ''courte paume'', is a ball-and-court game that originated in France. It was an indoor precursor of tennis played without racquets, a ...
(jeu de paume au gant), ca. 1700. While the game evolved to the modern jeu de paume (with racquet, called
real tennis in England) and eventually to
lawn tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball cove ...
, rural Alpine and Pyrenean communities kept the tradition.
In the Basque Country the "" and "", local versions of the paume evolved to the peculiar style of the pilota: instead of playing face to face, with a net in the midfield, the Basques began to fling the ball against a wall.
According to the Basque pilota historian Chipitey Etcheto, the first recorded matches took place in Napoleonic times; it is believed that the game was close to currently rare speciality of "".
The mid-19th century saw the explosion of the "pelota craze". The player "Gantxiki" is considered the original "father" of the chistera, the basket-shaped racquet that can propel the ball at high speeds, introduced around 1850.
The top champions of the end of the 19th century, such as "Chiquito de Cambo", were immensely popular and the best-paid sportsmen of their time. The first official competitions were organized in the 1920s and led to the world championship in the 1950s.
In 1924, the United States built its first fronton, in Miami. Jai-Alai is used for betting. During the '80s and '90s, Jai-Alai was especially popular in Miami and Florida, where the frontons had press boxes and restaurants and going to the Jai-Alai was seen to be a privilege. Men often came in suits and women came in elaborate dresses for the "special event". Nowadays, Jai-Alai has dropped in popularity. Instead of thousands of people who came to watch, now there are barely a couple hundred.
Countries that play pelota
Pelota is usually played in the
Basque
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous co ...
regions of south-western France and north-western Spain, where it originated. There are also federations of Basque ball in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, the Philippines, Guatemala, Italy, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, the United States, Venezuela, the Netherlands, Sweden, India and Greece. Due to the origin of the game, there are many good players who are
Basques, either natives or from the
Basque diaspora
The Basque diaspora is the name given to describe people of Basque origin living outside their traditional homeland on the borders between Spain and France. Many Basques have left the Basque Country for other parts of the globe for economic a ...
.The sport is part of the
Pan-American Games
The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...
since 1995 and was dropped at the 1999,2007 and 2015 editions due the low popularity in Brazil and Canada.
Pelota in the Olympics
Basque pelota was an official
Olympic sport
Olympic sports are contested in the Summer Olympic Games and Winter Olympic Games. The 2020 Summer Olympics included 33 sports; the 2022 Winter Olympics included seven sports. Each Olympic sport is represented by an international governing ...
once, in the 1900 Paris Games, and a
demonstration sport in
1924
Events
January
* January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after.
* January 20– 30 – Kuomintang in China holds ...
(men),
1968
The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide.
Events January–February
* January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
* Janu ...
(men) and
1992 (men and women). See also
Basque pelota at the 1900 Summer Olympics
At the 1900 Summer Olympics, a Basque pelota tournament was contested.
Only two teams entered, from Spain and France, but the French team, which included Maurice Durquetty and Etchegaray, withdrew before the competition: therefore, the tournament ...
.
In the 1900 Paris Games there were only two teams entered, France and Spain, but the French team, Maurice Durquetty and Etchegaray, withdrew. Therefore, the tournament was scratched and the Spanish team, Amezola and Villota, were subsequently awarded the gold medal.
Playing area
![Elizondo trinquete](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Elizondo_trinquete.jpg)
Basque pelota is usually played in a two walled court ( eu, frontoi or , French: ''fronton'', Spanish: ''frontón''). As seen in the picture, there are also courts with one wall, a modality prevailing on the French side of the
Basque Country, some spots of
Navarre or at the highly exceptional court of
Zubieta
Zubieta is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto ...
in province
Gipuzkoa
Gipuzkoa (, , ; es, Guipúzcoa ; french: Guipuscoa) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. Its capital city is Donostia-San Sebastián. Gipuzkoa shares borders with the French depa ...
. Yet they are not recognized by the
International Federation of Basque Pelota
The International Federation of Basque Pelota ( es, Federación Internacional de Pelota Vasca (FIPV), eu, Euskal Pilotaren Nazioarteko Federakuntza) is the worldwide governing body for Basque pelota, recognized by the International Olympic Commit ...
for international tournaments, and usually reserved to joko-garbia and open-air grand chistera games.
Trinquet
The trinquet is a court in Pelota where there is a front wall, a glass wall on the right and a wall on the left that has a dugout built into it and lastly a wall at the back. where the right wall and the front wall meet there is small 45-degree wall. The trinquet is 8.50 meters high, 28.50 meters long and 9.30 meters wide.
Mur a Gauche
The mur a gauche is French for 'wall on the left' which it truly is, as represented in the diagram below where there is a front wall called a frontis, a left wall and a back wall called a rebot. The mur a gauche is 36 meters long, 10 meters wide and 10 meters high.
Jai-Alai
The
Jai-Alai
Jai alai (: ) is a sport involving bouncing a ball off a walled-in space by accelerating it to high speeds with a hand-held wicker ''cesta''. It is a variation of Basque pelota. The term ''jai alai'', coined by Serafin Baroja in 1875, is also oft ...
court has the same layout as the mur a gauche, but instead of being 36 meters long, it is 54 meters long.
Rules (hand pilota)
![Frontón pelota](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/Front%C3%B3n_pelota.PNG)
The basic principle in hand-pelota is that there are two teams of two players each. The team to serve bounces the ball, then propels it towards the playing area of the narrow, front wall where it has to rebound between the low line demarcating the low off-area and the high line demarcating the high off-area.
The ball may either be played so it rebounds directly off the front wall onto the playing floor or onto the long side wall first. The opposing team may either play the ball immediately after rebounding from the front wall or side wall without rebounding from the playing floor or after having rebounded from the playing floor once.
A team scores by:
* playing the ball in such a way that the opposing team is unable to play the ball before it has rebounded off the playing floor more than once.
* playing the ball in such a way that it rebounds off the front wall and rebounds off the floor and outside the playing area.
A team may also score by the opposing team:
* hitting the front wall but either below the low line or above the high line.
* hitting the ball in time but failing to reach the front wall.
Equipment
The ball
The ball used to play pelota is called ''pilota'' in Basque, ''pelote'' in French, and ''pelota'' in Spanish. There are different sizes, different weights and different materials for each discipline that is played.
The ball is made out of a boxwood core from in diameter. This is wrapped in a latex wire (for Hand Pelota, Grand Chistera, Jai-Alai, and open-air Pala). The core of the ball is different for individual age groups so that the weight limit is respected. The core can also be made from latex (for Cesta Punta, Xare, Pala Corta, and Remonte).
A wire of pure new wool is then wrapped carefully around the core so that the ball is round and even throughout. A structure of cotton wire is sewed on the surface of the ball so that the wool stays in place. Number eight shapes are cut out from goat skin and are sewn together onto the ball in one or two layers.
The gloves (''chistera'')
Some of the disciplines in pelota require the use of a glove or Chistera.
;Chistera Joko Garbi: A short and shallow glove that is used in Joko Garbi and is played on a
fronton.
;Grand Chistera: A long and deep glove. In France, the grand Chistera is used to play Grand Chistera on "place libre", and it is called Cesta Punta when it is played on a Jai-Alai.
;Chistera de Remonte: It is only used in Spain for Remonte (played on a Jai-Alai court). It is a shallow glove like the Chistera Joko Garbi but longer.
The ''palas'' and ''paletas''
![2013 Basque Pelota World Cup - Paleta Goma - France vs Argentina 37](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/2013_Basque_Pelota_World_Cup_-_Paleta_Goma_-_France_vs_Argentina_37.jpg)
The Palas and Paletas are wooden made rackets that are used to strike or hit the ball. The difference between them is their weight, length, and width.
;Paleta Gomme Creuse-Paleta Goma: The larger of the two Paleta Gomme, it can weigh from 400 to 500 grams. It is used in the trinquet and on the mur a gauche.
;Paleta Gomme Pleine-Pala Ancha: This Paleta is narrower but thicker than the Paleta Gomme creuse and is also 400 to 500 grams. It is used in the trinquet and the mur a gauche as well as the fronton 'place libre'.
;Paleta Cuir-Paleta Cuero: This Paleta is thicker and narrower than both of the Paleta Gomme rackets and weighs from 500 to 600 grams. It is used in the trinquet, mur a gauche and fronton 'place libre'.
;Grosse Pala-Pala Corta : A Pala that is even thicker and narrower than the Paleta Cuir, which results the Pala to be from 600 to 800 grams. The Pala is used in fronton 'place libre' and mur a gauche.
;Pala Larga: Only used in Spain to play a game also called Pala Larga, it is the longest and heaviest of all the Palas and Paletas with a weight of 900 grams.
Modalities
Jai alai
This is the version known outside Europe as
jai alai
Jai alai (: ) is a sport involving bouncing a ball off a walled-in space by accelerating it to high speeds with a hand-held wicker ''cesta''. It is a variation of Basque pelota. The term ''jai alai'', coined by Serafin Baroja in 1875, is also of ...
. It is called ''zesta punta'' in Basque and ''cesta-punta'' in Spanish (literally: 'edged basket'). It uses a special glove that extends into a long pointed curved basket (hence the name), circa 60 cm long in straight line and 110 cm by curved line. The basket (''xistera'' in Basque and ''chistera'' in French) was introduced by
Gantchiqui Dithurbide from
Saint-Pée, France in 1860,
[ Libro de los récords Guinness, page 320, 1986 Spanish edition, Ediciones Maeva, ] and its long version by
Melchior Curuchage, from Buenos Aires in 1888.
The players use it to catch the rubber ball and propel it back against the main court. The Basque Government claims it as "the fastest game on Earth", the record being 302 km/h or 187.65 mi/h (
José Ramón Areitio at the
Newport Jai Alai, Rhode Island, USA on 3 August 1979
).
Frontenis
It is a modern Mexican fusion between tennis and Basque pelota. It uses tennis rackets in a short court, although the ball has a different surface to the tennis one. Men and women both play this game. It is played only in 30 meter courts.
Hand-pelota
Hand-pelota (Basque: ''esku huska'' or ''esku huskako pilota'', Spanish: ''pelota a mano'') is played barehanded (or with minimal protections) and with a traditional ball made of wool around a hard core and covered with leather. The standard ball should weigh 92–95 grams. It is played in the short court either individually (one vs. one) or by pairs (two vs. two). Traditionally and professionally it is reserved for men. Players can be distinguished by the swelling of their hitting hand.
It was originally played in the 13th century in the Basque region of Spain and France, and has been played for a long time in Mexico, South America, Cuba, Italy and many US states, including Florida. The sport is similar to
squash
Squash may refer to:
Sports
* Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets
* Squash (professional wrestling), an extremely one-sided match in professional wrestling
* Squash tennis, a game similar to squash but pla ...
or
fives
Fives is an English sport believed to derive from the same origins as many racquet sports. In fives, a ball is propelled against the walls of a 3- or 4-sided special court, using a gloved or bare hand as though it were a racquet, similar to ...
, players hit the ball against the end wall, trying to get the ball out of the opponent's reach.
''Paleta goma'' (rubber)
![Paleta corta](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Paleta_corta.jpg)
Also called "Argentine paleta goma", this is played with a short and broad wooden bat, called ''paleta'' in both Spanish and Basque, and a gas-filled rubber ball.
The ball is neither solid nor hollow. It is made from two-halves glued together. Before being glued, the core is filled with a special gas which gives the ball firmness and bounce, and thus greater speed.
Paleta goma can be played by either men or women. This version of paleta was invented in
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
and is widely played there. The Argentine male ''pelotaris'' are used to dominate international competitions.
''Paleta cuero'' (leather)
This variant is played with a bat similar to the previous one but with a traditional leather ball. This game is mainly played by men.
''Pala corta'' (short bat)
![Paleta Argentina Multilaminada 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Paleta_Argentina_Multilaminada_1.JPG)
This is played with somewhat shorter but thicker and much narrower bat (''pala ancha''). The ball is leather or rubber. It is reserved, in principle, for men.
''Pala larga'' (long bat)
Is played with a longer bat (''pala larga''), again thick and not much wide. Leather or rubber ball in the long court. In principle, this game is reserved for men.
''Grand Chistera''
![Chistéra](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Chist%C3%A9ra.jpg)
This version of the sport is played essentially in France by 2 teams of 3 players on an outside court referred to as ''place libre'', meaning "free space" in French, or ''Cancha'', meaning "court" in Spanish. The court is 16 m wide and 100 m long with the limit for play being at 80 m from the wall or
Fronton and has no side walls. The sport is played with the same glove as the zesta punta.
''Joko-garbi''
A variant of the above. The basket-glove is shorter and less deep and it is allowed to retain the ball only momentarily.
The Basque name ''joko garbi'' means "pure game", in opposition to the abuse of ''atxiki'' (unfair retention of the ball), typical of the late 19th century style of playing, dubbed ''joko zikin'' ("dirty game").
This game is for men only.
''Remonte''
![Chistera_gant](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Chistera_gant.jpg)
Similar to joko-garbi, but the xistera is flatter and doesn't allow the atchiki foul. It can be played by individuals or teams of two players.
This game is still performed by professionals in several Jai-Alai frontons in northern Spain.
''Xare''
![Xare](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Xare.jpg)
''Xare'' or ''sare'' (from name of the racket, which means "net" in Basque;
also spelled ''share'' in Spanish) is played with a wooden ring strung with a net, meaning that the ball is thrown instead of hit.
It is played only on the
trinquet court.
[ Xare is known for the quick, precise and sharp movements of the ''pelotaris'' who are capable of reaching balls considered impossible for ''pelotaris'' of other specialties. Bicycle-like helmets are also worn. It is traditionally strong in South American countries, especially ]Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, as a result of which it is also known as ''raqueta argentina'' and ''raquette argentine'' in Spanish and French.[
]
Professionalism in pelota
Professional competitions and exhibitions in the Basque Country are organized by Asegarce and ASPE
Aspe (, ca-valencia, Asp) is a town and municipality located in the ''comarca'' of Vinalopó Mitjà, in the province of Alicante, Spain.
The town is located in the valley of the river Vinalopó, from Alicante city. The economy of Aspe is based ...
for the discipline of handball, Orriamendi for Remonte, Inpala for Pala Larga. Various tournaments exist for Cesta Punta professional players in France and Spain.
In the United States pelota is mainly a professional sport, strongly tied to betting and the pari-mutuel
Parimutuel betting or pool betting is a betting system in which all bets of a particular type are placed together in a pool; taxes and the "house-take" or "vigorish" are deducted, and payoff odds are calculated by sharing the pool among all winni ...
system.
In professional environment is common to play special plays called "quinielas" well adapted to the
betting needs.
Main tournaments
* 1st Hand-pelota, singles category
* 1st Hand-pelota, doubles category
* Cuatro y Medio
* 2nd Hand-pelota, singles category
In 1994, the production company Asegarce started painting the courts green so that the ball would be more visible on TV.
Renowned players
Active
* Oinatz Bengoetxea
* Olaizola II
Retired
* Atano III
* Beloki
* Martínez de Irujo
* Retegi II
* Titín III
* Txikito de Iraeta
* Txikito de Eibar
Professional games are open to betting
Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three elem ...
on the results, as usual in most traditional Basque competitions. In the US and Macau it is mainly this aspect of the competition that has given it some popularity. Besides the federations, there are professional competitions such as the League of Companies of Basque Pilota. The International Jai-Alai Players Association is a union defending the players of Jai Alai
Jai alai (: ) is a sport involving bouncing a ball off a walled-in space by accelerating it to high speeds with a hand-held wicker ''cesta''. It is a variation of Basque pelota. The term ''jai alai'', coined by Serafin Baroja in 1875, is also of ...
.
Basque Pelota World Championships
The International Federation of Basque Pelota
The International Federation of Basque Pelota ( es, Federación Internacional de Pelota Vasca (FIPV), eu, Euskal Pilotaren Nazioarteko Federakuntza) is the worldwide governing body for Basque pelota, recognized by the International Olympic Commit ...
has organized the Basque Pelota World Championships since 1952.
Medal table
The current medal table from 1952 to 2018 is as follows:
Dictionary (basic)
* Jo! (): game is on!
* Ba!: game is on!
* Sakea: the stroke that puts the ball in play
* Ona: good, valid
* Falta: foul
* Berriz: repeat
* Errebote: rebound on rear wall
* Atxiki (): illegal retain
* Bote, punpa: bounce
* Ados: tie, draw
In popular culture
*A statue commemorating the game skills used for throwing grenades by Victor Iturria during the Second World War was erected in Sare.
*Films and television programmes that show pelota being played include:
**Philip Leacock
Philip David Charles Leacock (8 October 1917 – 14 July 1990) was an English television and film director and producer. His brother was documentary filmmaker Richard Leacock.
Career
Born in London, England, Leacock spent his childhood in the C ...
's 1956 film, '' The Spanish Gardener''
**The Russell Rouse
Russell Rouse (November 20, 1913 – October 2, 1987) was an American screenwriter, director, and producer who is noted for the "offbeat creativity and originality" of his screenplays and for film noir movies and television episodes produce ...
's Western film ''Thunder in the Sun
''Thunder in the Sun'' is a 1959 American Western film directed by Russell Rouse and starring Susan Hayward and Jeff Chandler.
Plot
The film shows a family of French Basque immigrants pioneering into the Wild West while carrying their ancestr ...
''
**The Italian movie '' Pari e dispari'' (1978)
**The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...
(Lenny, Homer's friend, is shown to live in a pelota playground, an
Mr Burns wins a match
after a blood transfusion)
**'' The Basque Ball'' (Spanish documentary film about Basque politics that uses pelota as a metaphor)
**Jørgen Leth
Jørgen Leth (; born 14 June 1937) is a Danish poet and film director who is considered a leading figure in experimental documentary film making. Most notable are his documentary ''A Sunday in Hell'' (1977) and his surrealistic short film '' Th ...
's documentary "''Pelota Pelota (Spanish for ''ball'') can refer to the popular and shortened names for a number of ball games:
* Basque pelota
* Chaza
* Jai alai
* Mesoamerican ballgame
* Palla
* Pelota mixteca
* Valencian pilota
* Frontenis
* Pétanque
Pétanqu ...
''".
**''Miami Vice
''Miami Vice'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs, two M ...
'' (Jai-alai pelota)
**In Mad Men
''Mad Men'' is an American period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television. It ran on the cable network AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, lasting for seven seasons and 92 episodes. Its f ...
episode " The Arrangements", Pete Campbell brings in a client who wants to promote Jai-Alai in the US.
**In Sergio Corbucci
Sergio Corbucci (; 6 December 1926 – 1 December 1990) was an Italian film director, screenwriter and producer. He directed both very violent Spaghetti Westerns and bloodless Bud Spencer and Terence Hill action comedies.
He is the older bro ...
's 1978 film Odds and Evens, Bud Spencer
Carlo Pedersoli (31 October 1929 – 27 June 2016), known professionally as Bud Spencer, was an Italian actor, professional swimmer and water polo player. He was known for action-comedy and Spaghetti Western roles with his long-time film partn ...
plays and eventually wins a Basque pelota tournament.
** Benidorm - In Series 7, Episode4, Glynn takes Jacqueline to a sports centre to play pelota but have to watch as there is a league game on that day. Due to an injury, Glynn steps in as a substitute, only for Jacqueline to take his place when he shows he is not a good player.
**Around the World with Orson Welles
''Around the World with Orson Welles'' is a series of six short travelogues originally written and directed by Orson Welles for Associated-Rediffusion in 1955, for Britain's then-new ITV channel. Despite its title emphasizing the world, it was ...
episode 2 "Pays Basque II (La Pelote basque)"
See also
* Basque rural sports
Basque rural sports, known as ''Deportes Rurales'' in Spanish or ''Herri Kirolak'' in Basque, is the term used for a number of sports competitions rooted in the traditional lifestyles of the Basque people. The term ''force basque'' is used in Fren ...
* Squash (sport)
Squash is a racket-and- ball sport played by two or four players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow, rubber ball. The players alternate in striking the ball with their rackets onto the playable surfaces of the four walls of the court. T ...
* Baseball5, a variation of baseball in which the ball is struck with a bare hand
Other modalities
* Gaelic handball
* Pêl-Law (Welsh handball)
* Valencian pilota
Valencian pilota ( ca-valencia, pilota valenciana "Valencian ball") is a traditional handball sport played in the Valencian Community. Its origins are not known.
Rules variations within the generic ''Pilota Valenciana'' category are frequent fr ...
* Valencian frontó Frontó () is a modified Valencian pilota version of the original Basque Pelota game. The name ''frontó'' refers both to the game, ball and the playing area. Unlike some of the more popular Valencian Pilota rules, ''frontó'' is an indirect game, ...
References
External links
The International Federation of Basque Pelota
"The History of Basque Pelota in the Americas"
by Carmelo Urza
Frontons.net
list of frontons around the world.
Pelota vasca
in the Spanish-language Auñamendi Encyclopedia
The Auñamendi Encyclopedia is the largest encyclopedia of Basque culture and society, with 120,000 articles and more than 67,000 images.
History
Founded in 1958 by the Estornés Lasa brothers, Bernardo and Mariano. He began publishing in 196 ...
, with sections o
the game
an
history
{{DEFAULTSORT:Basque Pelota
Racket sports
Former Summer Olympic sports
Wall and ball games
Summer sports