In old Manila, Jai Alai was considered the sport of the city’s elite, just like golf. It was launched in 1940 at a four-story building along Taft Avenue.
Dubbed as one of the most stunning Jai Alai frontons in the world, the Jai Alai Club was designed by Welton Becket, the same architect behind the original Los Angeles airport.
A sport of Basque origin, the Jai Alai (which literally means “happy feast”), is usually played in a three-sided court and with slings that are similar to wicket baskets. The players use these baskets to throw the hard ball at breakneck speed.
After the war, the Jai Alai building was converted into one of the world’s largest Red Cross service centers. The game, on the other hand, met a slow and painful death.
No thanks to issues of gambling and fixing that had plagued the Jai Alai palace for years, the game was officially banned by the government in 1986. Soon, then Manila Mayor Lito Atienza ordered the demolition of the Jai Alai building to supposedly give way to the construction of a new Hall of Justice.
(Source: http://www.filipiknow.net/)
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