35th Bankoa ABANCA-DV Tournament: Basque Pelota Championship Expands with Record Female Participation

Since 1992, this championship has served as a showcase for amateur Basque pelota talent. Iosu Larrarte, sponsorships lead for EL DIARIO VASCO, emphasized the tournament’s stature during the official presentation at DV Gunea. “This tournament is the benchmark in the amateur field and we know what it means for you to be chosen for it,” Larrarte told attendees, while also honoring the late Enrique Erentxun, who passed away in April.

Organization of the event builds upon work established by Juan Luis Ubera, Miguel Etxaniz, Aitor Atxotegi, Iñigo Irureta, and Andoni Aldape, whose responsibilities are now carried forward by Iñigo Viana of Kirolzale. Journalists such as Joseba Lezeta have historically documented the competition.

Expansion in the Women’s Division

Total participation rises from 72 to 76 competitors this year, driven by an expansion in the women’s division. Introduced to the tournament in 2018 with eight participants, the women’s bracket grows to 12 manistas for the 35th edition.

The female competitors battle within the cuatro y medio (four-and-a-half) format. Organizers have divided the field into four groups of three players, each anchored by a seeded competitor: Mendiburu, Zabaleta, and the finalists from the previous year, Laia Salsamendi and Enara Gaminde. While Gaminde enters as the defending champion and dominant force in women’s hand pelota, Salsamendi pushed her to the limit in the final last year.

The four seeded players receive direct entry into the quarterfinal round, whereas the other two components of each group face off in the round of octavos. Goizane Álvarez, the Gipuzkoa Provincial Council’s deputy of Culture, Cooperation, Youth, and Sports, praised the rising participation numbers at the launch event. “The Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa has been making an effort for ten years to reduce the differences between men and women,” Álvarez said, noting the ongoing institutional push to establish absolute parity within the frontons.

Men’s Promesas and Sénior Formats

While the women’s draw expands, the Promesas and Sénior men’s categories retain their established tournament structures. Both divisions feature four groups of four pairings, with one designated duo acting as a top seed in each group.

In the Promesas division, the seeded tandems are Salaberria-A. Etxeberria, Landa-Artetxe, Nazabal-Olano, and Paraguayo VII-Salaberria. The Sénior bracket features Etxeberria-A. Balerdi, Egiguren-Apeztegia, Lizeaga-Sotil, and Fernandez-Elorz as top-seeded pairings. Both men’s categories utilize a ladder format starting from the round of sixteen, with the top seeds receiving direct entry into the quarterfinals.

Among the standout names in the Sénior draw is Unax Apeztegia, who enters the tournament following victories at the Memorial Soroa, the Dinastía Etxabe, and the Torneo de El Antiguo.

Venues and Calendar Logistics

The 41 matches of the 35th edition are distributed across 15 distinct venues spanning Navarra, Bizkaia, Araba, and La Rioja. Ten venues return from the previous tournament, including the Atano III and Beotibar frontons, which will once again host the semifinal fixtures.

Five locations drop off the calendar—Getaria, Fuenmayor, Idiazabal, Zestoa, and Eibar—to make room for incoming hosts Zarautz, Nájera, Oñati, Azpeitia, and Sopela. “The tournament expands and passes through Navarra, Bizkaia, Araba, and La Rioja, but its roots remain Guipuzcoan,” Larrarte noted regarding the geographic footprint.

Zumarraga hosts the championship finals for the 13th time, a partnership celebrated by local leadership. “All of you who come to play at Beloki say it is like playing at home,” said Zumarraga Mayor Mikel Serrano during the presentation. “For us, it is important because it allows us to be a small benchmark in pelota for both Gipuzkoa and Euskadi.”

Schedule adjustments may affect matches in Azkoitia and Oñati between October 15 and 24, as select pelotaris could receive call-ups to represent Euskal Herria at the World Championship in Argentina.

Action gets underway this Sunday, October 27, at 11:30 inside the Aritzbatalde fronton in Zarautz.