Basque pelota close to currently rare specialty of "rebot". 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 which can propel the ball at incredible 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 their first fronton, in Miami. Jai- Alai is used
Bare-handed Pelota First League Bare-handed Pelota First League The Bare-handed Pelota First League ("Campeonato Manomanista") is the most important tournament competition of Hand-pelota category of Basque pelota. It was created in 1940, when the new Basque Pelota Spanish Federation, to have a champion of the category. In its beginnings, the championship was disputed every two years, turning into an annual tournament since 1950. The first champion was Atano III. Retegi II, holds the title of most wins with 11, 9 consecutives. Until 1995 the competition system was "stair", the winner of the past year was directly qualified to final and following him the other