Basque pelota In Valencia, Valencian pilota is considered the national sport; it is also played in Belgium, North of Italy, Mexico, and Argentina. Since its creation, the International Federation of Basque Pelota 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
Pelota Mano Court, Trebonne in 1528 and commented on how all the males played this game. Indoor ('courte paume') and outdoor ('longue paume') versions endured during the 18th century, but following the French Revolution the games were nearly abandoned for being associated with royalty and nobility. Its popularity, however, remained in small circles. From the early outdoor version evolved modern tennis and in the Basque country it became the present manifestation of Basque handball. The Basque pelota mano derives from Roman versions of the game and spread throughout western Europe and France. What became the traditional game "pelota basque" played in church porticos or