File:Ustaritz_Fronton_Pala.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Key facts
- Highest governing body
- International Federation of Basque Pelota
- Nicknames
- Pelota
- First played
- 13th century
- Contact
- No
- Team members
- Single or doubles
- Type
- Hand sport , Racquet sport , Basket sport
- Equipment
- Basque pelota ball
- Olympic
- Part of the Summer Olympic programme in 1900, Demonstrated at the 1924, 1968 and 1992 Summer Olympics, Recognized as an Olympic sport
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Bidart Chistera.jpg
Show 3 more facts
- OpenStreetMap tag
- sport=pelota
- Commons category
- Pelota
- Commons gallery
- Pelota
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~22 min read
Article
Basque pelota (Basque: pilota, Spanish: pelota vasca, French: pelote basque) 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 (frontis or fronton) 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.
The term pelota probably comes from the Vulgar Latin term pilotta (ball game). It is a diminutive form of the word pila which may relate to a hard linen or leather ball filled with pilus (fur or hair) or to the Latin words for strike or spade and is related to the English word pellet.