#euskal pilota

[beautiful-basque-country]

No place for Basque NT at the World Basque Pilota Championships.

The sub-22 World Basque Pilota Championship is being played at the Labrit fronton in Iruña. Until Aug 31, +200 players from 7 different countries - Spain, France, Mexico, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, and Cuba - will participate. Since there'll be no competition for the Basque NT, dozens of people have asked for its officiality during a meeting next to Labrit. [x]

This happens after the announcement of 50 professional pilota players made some weeks ago regarding their withdrawal from competition to protest against this ridiculous fact: that a Basque sport isn't allowed to have a Basque NT. Our very own sport, taken from us; our players - let's be real, all the Spain and France NT players are Basque - forced to play for the glory of Spain and France.

Ugh.

[ionmarkelargazkiak]

[doubtspirit]

Le rebot offre toujours des points et des attitudes spectaculaires © Crédit photo : Jean-Daniel Chopin

The final of the French rebot (jai alai, zesta-punta) championship. Basque pelota.

The five d'Hardoytarrak/Anglet teammates won this Sunday in Saint-Jean-de-Luz against local Luzean (13-11)

[thatsagreatpainting]

Photo: Leon Levinstein

[mapmfp-blog]

Sport and Identities

In relation to #Bodies #sport #nationalism #identities #colonialism, following some audiovisual references:

1. Trevor Noah and his response to the American French Ambassador  https://youtu.be/COD9hcTpGWQ 2. Non-global Sports:  “Pelota” is a popular sport in the Basque Country. Here the final of women championship https://youtu.be/9PtOyhs-Ums and a resume of different rural sports competitions. https://youtu.be/CPjGWNOsoXs 

by Itxaso

[shadyfacewolf]

Cobi plays basque pelota by 1987arevalo on @DeviantArt

https://www.deviantart.com/1987arevalo/art/Cobi-plays-basque-pelota-831259191

[basqueculture]

http://www.basqueculture.com/

[beautiful-basque-country]

The long way towards a Basque NT

Next June 29, some Basque pilota players will make an appearance in Hendaia (Lapurdi) to announce their decision under the slogan "Basque Country NT now". That is, their refusal to the Spanish and French national teams.

The process to an official Basque NT is stuck. Last year, Basque Pilota Federation proposed a change in the statutes of the International Pilota Federation but it completely failed. The president of the Spanish Federation, Julian Garcia Angulo, and the one of the International Federation - Xavier Cazaubon -, had a spat and eventually the statute change was not put to the vote, dismissed by Cazaubon. Again, Spain and France have whole control about Basque affairs.

More than a year has passed since the new Sports Law was approved in the Spanish Congress, in which it was approved the official status of the Basque National Team in sports historically rooted in our territory. Let's not forget pilota was invented in EH by Basque people, where every village has its own frontoi - pilota court - and it's a very popular sport around here.

This law was declared a big victory because we would see the Basque NT competing internationally in pilota and surfing. However, things remain the same. Seeing a Basque NT compete internationally in other sports seems like a utopia, and even in the case of pilota, the doors have been slammed shut by the International and Spanish Federation using their right of veto.

In 2026, the Pilota World Cup will be played in Argentina and in 2030 it will be held in Bizkaia. In 2022, in Biarritz, Basque players had to compete with the national teams of Spain and France. Avoiding the paradox of a Basque sport being played by other countries' NTs and a proper Basque NT not being allowed should be the priority for the Basque Federation, especially when world championships are played in EH. Next June 29th appearance of the Basque National Pilota Team will hopefully rekindle the fire and encourage the competent authorities to take steps.

[x]

[beautiful-basque-country]

The High Court of Nafarroa confirms the city hall of Atarrabia has to erase the coat of arms fo EH from the town fronton.

Atarrabia is a town near the Navarrese capital of just around 10,000 inhabitants. Also, friendly reminder that pilota is a Basque sport played in the fronton, wehre the coat of arms is. This fronton can host 500 viewers. JUST 500 PEOPLE, keep that in mind.

The matter has its origin in the repainting of the Zazpiak Bat coat of arms, which includes the seven Basque provinces accompanied by the term 'Euskal Herria':

The sentence reads: "It is not denied that one of the possibilities of using the term 'Euskal Herria' - or the coat of arms that represents said concept - can be neutral and non-partisan, but nor can we ignore the notorious political activity that seeks the integration of Nafarroa into the Basque Autonomous Community, nor the legitimate aspiration of forming a legal-political reality that does not exist today and of which these seven territories are part. This partisan aspect - or its possibility or appearance thereof —also exists. (...) The visual message is loaded with meanings, and a non-negligible part of them is far from being limited to an ornamental purpose or a designation of merely historical or cultural realities. Furthermore, as it is a coat of arms that integrates territories, the visual effect of convincing or proselytizing on the viewer is also worth taking into account." The magistrates conclude that "the place where the symbol displays its effects belongs to all citizens, so the duty of neutrality requires, therefore, the suppression of the coat of arms."

So they're forced to erase this symbol just because the possibility of a partisan aspect may or may not exist on it, and also because judges consider its symbolism SO powerful it could rot the viewers brains and convince them with independentist ideas, 500 people - if there's a sold out - at a time. Because, you know, when you go to a fronton you spend your time looking at the coat of arms instead of the game.

There's a possibility, too, the coat of arms may not be partisan and related to a traditional sport played all over those evil seven provinces, but that won't be taken into account, seemingly.

This is what we have to deal with, even in the smallest towns, in the tiniest buildings.

[x]

[beautiful-basque-country]

Bixintxo Bilbao waved an ikurriña after winning the Basque Pilota World Championships last summer in Barcelona, along with his partner Peio Larralde. 

The Federation considers the act of waving an - according to them - unauthorized flag a serious offense and has sentenced Bilbao to a whole year without competing.

The International Federation considers they’re just following the rules; the thing is, that rules literally state that pilota players can only be sanctioned a year “if their behavior or attitude attempts against the good image of the Federation or its organs”. How is the Basque flag - a legal and official flag both in Spain and France - something that can hurt the good image of anybody?

Especially the one of the federation of a sport who has “Basque” in its f*cking name??

Bixintxo Bilbao has already stated that he’s sad about the punishment but that he’s not sorry and that he’d do it again anytime. He’s appealing the sanction, supported by the Basque Government.

[beautiful-basque-country]

joixxe: Maybe because that Basque player was playing for France, not for Basque Country. And the rules of FIPV says that is not allowed to appear with a flag of a nation that doesnt play in the tournament, not for be against that flag or what it represent, only to pull apart the sport and the politic petitions. Maybe the sanction is disproportionate but the sad part is that we are talking about the flag topic and not about how was the tournament, wich was the important th

- He was playing for France because the Federation won’t allow a Basque national team, and yes, it exists in other sports like surfing.

Besides, you can’t wave any other flag but the one of the country you’re playing for?????

You’re incorrect about that supposed rules of the FIPV. In the official resolution signed by the FIPV adressing the punishment and the reason why Bixintxo Bilbao was sanctioned, the broken law wasn’t even mentioned, mainly because it doesn’t exist any written law inside the official rules that forbids waving the ikurriña.

“Not to be against that flag or what it represents”. Seriously? Do you think that waving the, we don’t know, Aquitanian flag would’ve been also a reason for punishment? Because we doubt it.

Most players that won a World Championship waved a flag dear to them:

-Fernando Llorente with the flag of La Rioja around his neck:

David Villa and the Asturian flag:

Xavi and Puyol with the Senyera:

Zinedine Zidane, playing for France and waving the Algerian flag:

Do you see politics there? Do you see they’re mixing politics and sports for waving the flag of ther mother region?

Politics and sports mix the moment you punish a player for waving the official and legal flag of his region. To add insult to injury, a player of Basque pilota, a game that has a Basque origin and Euskal Herria has the highest percentage of professional players in the world.

We’re not just talking about a flag or sports, we’re talking about how stateless nations are treated by the states they’re under.

[beautiful-basque-country]

Good news.. but not great.

The president of the Federation, Xabier Cazaubon, has stated that it was himself in a personal capacity who ended the sanction. So federation laws are still the same and this could happen again.

Besides, Mr. Cazaubon claims that the federation has suffered “insults and threats” regarding its previous decision - the punishment - and that it’s unacceptable.

Well, it also is unacceptable to punish a Basque man who plays Basque pilota professionally for waving the Basque legal flag, y’know? Shit happens.

[beautiful-basque-country]

cocelivros: Pelota vasca? Surely you mean Pelota Nacional Muy Española?

- It happened in France since Bixintxo Bilbao was playing for France during the World Championships. People sometimes tend to forget that France is not much better than Spain towards minority identities / languages.

In fact, France is much worse.

[beautiful-basque-country]

One thing we’re so pissed about - yeah, just one??? ha! - is that the Basque pilota world championship is now being held in Biarritz, and you know what?

There’s no Basque team. Spanish NT or France NT.

A traditional Basque sport, invented by Basque people! And yes, some will say, well football originated in England and look now! And you’re right, but meanwhile football has professional players by the thousands in almost every country in the world, the very few federated pilota players are located mostly in EH.

But we’re not colonised and forcibly assimilated, nah. We Basques exaggerate, as usual.

[beautiful-basque-country]

Ah, the things we come across on the internet...

- name of the sport given in French and Spanish, not in Euskara ✅

- using two sports with almost no similarities to describe it instead of trying to explain superficially what's like ✅

Let's see: the game is easy and can be played one vs one, or doubles.

The ball is hit against the wall of the fronton by a barehanded player, and the other one has to return it.

The wall has lower and upper limits that the ball cannot pass, and the ball cannot bounce outside the court. There's a game called 4 1/2 where the ball can't bounce further than the 4 1/2 mark on the long wall.

The first one to reach 22 wins.

[beautiful-basque-country]

Basque here, i once read a US actor tweet that "jai alai was created after aztec ball games" i told him that was bullshit and that its called zesta punta, they don't care, i hate the invalidation of basque culture.

What??! Aztec ball games? Ene maitia.

So let's recap: the French invented the beret, the Aztecs invented Jai Alai and Sabino Arana invented Euskara.

The only thing we have left is the insta favorite Basque burnt cheesecake, which isn't even traditionally Basque.