Jai alai is a Basque sport involving bouncing a ball off a walled-in space by accelerating it to high speeds with a hand-held wicker, commonly referred to as a cesta. It is a variation of Basque pelota. The term jai alai, coined by Serafin Baroja in 1875, is also often loosely applied to the fronton where matches take place. The game, whose name means "merry festival" in Basque, is called zesta-punta in the Basque Country. The sport is played worldwide, but especially in Spain, France, the U.S. state of Florida, and in various Latin American countries.
Basque pelota 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 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.
Julián Retegui Barbería, also known as Retegi II is an ex-player of Basque pelota. He is also called "El mago de Eratsun", since he is considered one of the best Basque pelota players of all time. He played as a foreplayer.
Oier Zearra Garabieta, also known as Zearra, is a Basque pelota player for the Asegarce company. He plays as back-player.
Rubén Beloki Irribarren is a Basque pelota defensive player, often considered one of the best in the history of the sport. He was born in Burlada on 8 August 1974. His brother Alberto Beloki is also a professional pelotari known as Beloki II.
Atano III is a Basque pelota short fronton located at the Anoeta Sports Complex in San Sebastián, Basque Autonomous Community, Spain.
Ogueta is a short Basque pelota fronton located in Vitoria, in Álava Province, Basque Country, Spain.
Mariano Juaristi Mendizábal was a Spanish Basque pelota player known as Atano III. He is often considered one of the best pelotaris of all time, dominating the 1st hand-pelota category from 1926 to 1948 and winner of 4 championships.
Juan Martínez de Irujo is a professional Basque pelota player for the Aspe team.
The Bare-handed Pelota First League is the most important tournament competition of Hand-pelota category of Basque pelota. It was created in 1940, when the new Basque Pelota Spanish Federation, to have a champion of the category. In its beginnings, the championship was disputed every two years, turning into an annual tournament since 1950. The first champion was Atano III. Retegi II, holds the title of most wins with 11, 9 consecutives.
The Federación Española de Pelota is the main governing body of Basque pelota in Spain and one of the most important in the world along with the International Federation of Basque Pelota. As of 2023, the federation has 326 registered clubs and 9,939 federated pelota players.
The Astelena fronton, nicknamed Cathedral of Basque Hand-pelota, is a fronton located in Eibar, Gipuzkoa, Basque Autonomous Community, Spain.
The International Federation of Basque Pelota is the worldwide governing body for Basque pelota, recognized by the International Olympic Committee. It sets the regulations for international competition and organizes the competitions.
The Deportivo fronton is a Basque pelota fronton, used mainly in the modalities of hand-pelota, short bat, long bat, pala and paleta. It is located in Bilbao and owned by the local municipality. The 52-metre-long facility closed to the public in 2011, with events in the city moving to the Bizkaia fronton in the Miribilla district.
Francisco Larrañaga Albizu, known as Txikito de Iraeta was a Basque pelota player, winner of the 1945 1st Hand-Pelota doubles championship.
Casino Español de Manila is a club established in 1888 by Spaniards living in the Philippines as their exclusive venue for recreational and social activities. It later opened its doors to Filipino members to foster Spanish-Filipino ties in the country. It is located at No. 855 Teodoro M. Kalaw Extension, Ermita, Manila.
Antonio Sivera Salvá is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for La Liga club Deportivo Alavés, who he captains.
Víctor López Ibáñez is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as either a right back or a right winger for Calahorra.
There is an abandoned Jai alai court in the back of the Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital, the site of the old Casa de Beneficencia, on Calles Concordia and Lucenas near Calle Belascoain, an area that had been considered in the early part of the city as a place to locate the helpless and the unwanted, it was the edge of the city and the countryside known as the "basurero"; the spectator stands were parallel to Calle Concordia, the front wall of the court faced Calle Lucenas, east in the direction towards Old Havana. The original building has been annexed by five stories of residential concrete construction on the north side along Calle Virtudes. The Havana Jai alai fronton was known as "the palace of screams".
