Basque pelota Basque pelota Basque pelota ("" in the original Basque language also "" in Spanish, "" in French) is the name for a variety of court sports played with a ball using one's hand, a racket, a wooden bat or a basket, against a wall ("frontis or Fronton") or, more traditionally, with two teams face to face separated by a line on the ground or a net. The roots of this class of games can be traced to the Greek and other ancient cultures. The term "" probably comes from the Vulgar Latin term "pilotta" (ball game). It is a diminutive
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