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 Spanish Basque Pelota Federation. The first typed of pelota to be included were doubles hand-pelota, "pala", "remonte" and "cesta punta". Provincial federations were set up in Álava, Aragón, Castile, Cataluña, Guipúzcoa, Navarra, Salamanca and Vizcaya. The activities of the Federation were interrupted during the Civil War but were restarted in 1940, when singles hand-pelota and short "pala" categories were introduced. The same year the first top-tier hand-pelota singles championship was organized, resulting in the win of Atano III over Txikito de Iraeta with a final score of 22-8. In 1941 the first top-tier hand-pelota doubles championship was played, resulting in