Basque pelota 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. The origin of this sport is tied to the decline of the ancient jeu de paume (jeu de paume
Venancio García Venancio García Venancio Pérez García (22 April 1921 – 28 November 1994), known simply as Venancio, was a Spanish footballer who played mainly as a forward. From a poor family in Sestao, Biscay, started working at a young age in the Altos Hornos de Vizcaya factory. Tall and powerfully built, he played "pelota mano" (an offshoot of Basque pelota) in his youth, and only became a full-time professional footballer at the age of 24. Venancio started playing the sport as a hobby, whilst he was performing his military service in Vitoria-Gasteiz. After starting out at SD Erandio Club he signed