Jai alai Jai alai Jai alai (; Basque: ) is a sport involving a ball bounced off a walled space by accelerating it to high speeds with a hand-held device (cesta). It is a variation of Basque pelota. The term, coined by Serafin Baroja in 1875, is also often loosely applied to the fronton (the open-walled playing area) where the sport is played. The game is called "zesta-punta" (basket tip) in Basque. The Basque Government promotes "jai alai" as "the fastest sport in the world" because of the speed of the ball. The sport once held the world record for ball speed
Manila Jai Alai Building (NCCA), the National Historical Institute (NHI), the Heritage Conservation Society and other heritage conservationists opposed the demolition. Atienza, a frequent bettor on jai alai in his youth, would replace the building with a new building for the city's courts. The conservationists attempted to at least save the building's facade, but were rejected since aside from being inconsistent with the intended function as a court and the building's association with gambling, the facade would be incompatible with the new building's neoclassical style. The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) was given the lot where the building once stood in 2005. The new