Basque pelota faces an absolute World Championship in Argentina and Uruguay with its competing rosters split between Spanish and Basque flags, following years of institutional friction and a failed arbitration process.
The Absolute World Championship Launch in South America
The absolute World Championship opened this Thursday across venues in Argentina and Uruguay, running through October 24, with 14 national delegations alongside Euskadi competing across nine disciplines. The tournament marks the competitive peak of a split that formally materialized when the International Federation of Basque Pelota (FIPV) admitted Euskadi as a member during a December 28, 2024 assembly in Pamplona. The inclusion followed a 2019 investiture agreement between the PSOE and the PNV, combined with a provision in Spain’s 2022 Sports Law permitting autonomous federations to join international bodies directly in sports with deep historical roots, provided the High Council for Sports (CSD) gave prior approval.
The resulting division is visible on the entry lists, where 98 pelotaris are split into distinct contingents: 57 competing for Spain, and 41 for Euskadi. The Basque government welcomed its delegation Tuesday at the Laurak Bat center in Buenos Aires, with Ibone Bengoetxea greeting athletes alongside Basque Federation President Joxemari Mitxelena and FIPV Xavier Cazaubon. Meanwhile, no representatives from the Spanish CSD traveled with the Spanish delegation.
Legal Battles and Financial Fallout
The administrative separation followed a prolonged dispute that eventually reached the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS). The TAS declared itself incompetent nearly nine months prior, ruling it lacked jurisdiction to resolve whether the Basque Federation could join the international body. That ruling ended the legal avenues for the Spanish Federation, which incurred legal expenses exceeding 50,000 euros while losing clubs, canceling domestic championships, and watching sponsors withdraw.
Relations between the Spanish Federation and the CSD deteriorated during the process. While the Spanish Federation sought intervention, CSD President José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes established a brief dialogue table while publicly supporting Basque international participation. The dispute divided top-tier talent. Carlos Baeza, a 2022 world champion from Segovia, cannot defend his title with his former partner Imanol Ibáñez, a Bilbao native who chose to compete under the Basque flag; Baeza instead enters the competition paired with Catalan player Emiliano Skufca.
Rivalries on the Court and Future Political Scenarios
The tournament schedule immediately pits the former compatriots against one another, featuring an opening-day match in women’s rubber paleta and a high-profile men’s cesta punta clash on Friday. Despite the defections, the Spanish squad retains notable competitors, including Erika Mugartegui and Arai Lejardi from Vizcaya, who arrive as champions in their discipline.
Euskadi’s membership remains transitional under FIPV rules, which mandate a four-year probationary period before full permanent status is granted. The political landscape could shift further depending on events in Spain, where the People’s Party (PP) has already advanced a Senate proposal to repeal Article 48.2 of the Sports Law and modify it to guarantee the international representation of Spanish sports federations.
