The Pelota Table has been established, which will work to turn Pamplona into the World Capital of this sport.
The new body will begin to work on the celebration of the First International Basque Pelota Congress in 2026 and on the call for an ideas competition to create the World House of Pelota
This Tuesday, Pamplona established the Pelota Table, a participation body made up of the Pamplona City Council, the Government of Navarra and representatives of the pelota world, which aims to ensure that Pamplona becomes the World Capital of Pelota. Chaired by Mayor Joseba Asiron, it has among its members the Ministers of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and of Memory and Coexistence, Rebeca Esnaola and Ana Ollo, respectively.
The new body is made up of ten members. To the three mentioned, are added, on behalf of the Consistory, the councilor for Livable and Sustainable City, Projects and Urban Mobility, Borja Izaguirre; the Councilor for Culture, Festivals, Education and Sports, Maider Beloki; and the Councilor for Economic Promotion, Innovation, European Projection, Development Cooperation and Youth, Koldo Martínez. The pelota federations and the pelota world are also represented by Javier Conde, president of the Navarra Basque Pelota Federation; Javier Trigo, vice president of the International Basque Pelota Federation; and Xabier Martínez Álava and Fernando Larumbe, president and vice president of the Navarra Cultural Association of Basque Pelota – Napike.
The council recalls that the initiative to convert Pamplona into a World City of Ball "aims to project the ball, whose origins are documented as far back as the 12th century, preserve it and promote it, through actions that encourage its practice and enjoyment." "However, Pamplona World Capital of Ball Goes beyond a sports initiative, and aspires to become a tourist and cultural proposal, based on sustainability, roots and innovation from tradition, principles included in the Urban Agenda Strategy Pamplona 2030”, he adds.
MAIN PROJECTS
The City Council has indicated, in a press release, that "to achieve this capital status, the Mesa de la Pelota will work to find consensus among all the agents involved, through collaborative work, which brings to light a viable project ”. "For now, it will begin to work on initiatives that have European funding, such as the celebration of the First International Basque Pelota Congress, with a view to 2026. Another project is the promotion of a contest of ideas for the creation of the Casa Ball World Cup, as a museum center for interpretation, training and research on this sport, which turns the city into an international reference,” he explained.
In addition, the Board will address other aspects, such as the improvement and conservation and recovery of heritage related to baseball, from the creation of a documentary fund to the promotion of doctoral theses on the subject, including the conservation of existing frontons.
Source Diario de Navarra