Basque Pelota

The most characteristic trait of Basque pelota is that it is played against a wall (frontón in Spanish, frontoi in Basque). There are styles played with the bare hand (pelota a mano in Spanish or eskupilota in Basque) or with a wooden bat (pala), or a basket propulsor (cesta, xistera), the latter being very famous in Florida as the jai alai style, and also played in Macao.

To foreign spectators, it may appear as squash in a larger court. Nevertheless it has only side wall in the left flank, while the right limit of the court is just marked on the floor.

Basque pelota has been an exhibition olympic sport in Mexico '68 and Barcelona '92 and could be an exhibition sport in London 2012. International competitions are dominated by Basques playing in either the Spanish or the French national teams.