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
Spanish Federation of Basque Pelota the win of Onaindia and Urcelay over Txikito de Iraeta and Gallastegui with a final score of 22-18. And in 1957 the first second-tier hand-pelota 2nd category singles was played resulting in the win of Del Val over Otxoa with a final score of 22-8. During the 1960s, several new competitions were introduced. Most were regional, second category and youth tournaments. In 1989, the Cuatro y Medio Euskadi Championship was introduced, resulting in a win for Retegi II over Galarza III with a final score of 22-6. The pelotaris in the federation are mainly under contract of the two major