Pelota
It is without doubt the outstanding rural sport in the region. Navarre has had, and continues to produce, renowned pelota players, amongst whom one should mention Retegui, Arretxe, Galarza, Bengoetxea, the Olaizola brothers, Eugi, Martínez de Irujo and Abel Barriola, among others.
This tradition is so deep-rooted that there are few towns that do not have a frontón (court) on their streets, some of them even located in buildings of traditional architecture as is the case of the “Trinquete” in Elizondo. In general, it is possible to play in any of them if you reserve in advance.
Competitions of different categories and styles take place in all the courts: hand, racket, basket, trinquete (roofed court), remonte (basket variant), etc. Each one of them creates a different type of spectacle and requires implements and courts of different types, although always with the same common denominator, the pelota (ball) itself, which continues to be handmade. Of the most famous championships, the one that stands out is the one that takes place between August and October at the Leku-Ona frontón in Mezkiritz, known as bost kirol (five games in Basque, due to the five styles of play involved): rubber paddle, leather paddle, short racket, xare (longer racket) and hand). Whatever the format, the pelota calendar carries on almost all year round.
As in other rural sports, so in pelota there is the betting phenomenon . This old tradition, through which land, herds and houses have been lost, has become one of the most singular aspects of the spectacle, reaching its climax in the final of the hand pelota modality.
To attend one of the major courts as a spectator, an entrance fee is payable. This varies according to the championship and the category of the games and ranges between 10 and 50 Euros, although in the grand finals it can even be three times higher.
Useful information
