Jeu de paume
![Jeu de paume in the 17th century.](/Images/godic/202501/21/Jeu_de_paume0454.jpg")
![Late 18th-century illustration of jeu de paume paddle-bats or battoirs, and (in various stages of construction) strung racquets.](/Images/godic/202501/21/Jeu_de_paume_racquets_and_battoirs,_17720454.jpg")
![Earliest known picture of Jeu de Paume from a Book of Hours (c. 1300)](/Images/godic/202501/21/Jeu_de_Paume_–_Book_of_Hours0454.jpg")
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Jeu de paume (French pronunciation: [ʒø d(ə) pom]; English: "palm game") is a ball-and-court game that originated in France. It was an indoor precursor of tennis played without racquets, though these were eventually introduced. It is a former Olympic sport, and has the oldest ongoing annual world championship in sport, first established over 250 years ago. Originally spelled jeu de paulme, it is sometimes called courte paume or "real tennis".