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
Basque pelota at the 1992 Summer Olympics participants were the four best classified countries at the World Championships held in Cuba in 1990. However, the United States renounced to participate and had to be replaced by the team that had finished in fifth place when necessary. "Note:" Since Basque Pelota was a demonstration sport, medals were awarded, but the medals were not "official" (and did not count in the respective nations' medal totals). Basque pelota at the 1992 Summer Olympics Basque Pelota was a demonstration sport at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. It was the fourth and last time that the sport was included in the