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
Basque Pelota World Championships Basque Pelota World Championships The Basque Pelota World Championships is a quadrennial tournament first organized in 1952 by the International Federation of Basque Pelota. The modern championships crowns the best amateur players in fifteen different playing categories. The first edition of the tournament was organized in 1952, and until 1958 was played every three years. The tournament has occurred every four years since then. No third place titles were awarded during the first five editions of the tournament. Additionally, the number of disciplines disputed at each tournament has varied depending on the edition, and has even included disciplines played on