Jai alai

Filipino and Spanish jai-alai players raise their hands and scoop-like baskets at the start of games in a 2,600-seater fronton in central Manila June 22. The fronton was renovated at a cost of one billion pesos by two firms which formed a joint venture with state firm Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. Jai-alai, a kind of handball played with a basket strapped to the wrist, resumed in the country June 22 after about a decade of absence as it was banned by the government due to the gambling associated with the popular sport. EDC/TAN