Field of play

[Levin]

Baseball, if played according to the written rules, requires a mound in the middle of the field. Most other sports that I can think of require a flat pitch upon which are erected things like wickets or goals.

Now obviously golf is played over a landscape but I'm trying to think of things that have a pitch or something similar stipulated by rules that includes a three dimensional feature that isn't equipment. If you get what I mean.

Does crown green bowling specify a camber?

[Sporting]

Er...real tennis?

[Wouter D]

Treibeis to thread.

[Kevin S]

Squash requires walls - does that count?

[gjt]

Eton Fives (yes I know) has buttresses and various other bits of architecture within the court, based on its original playing location along the side of the chapel at Eton. Having looked it up on the Wiki, these features' dimensions aren't exactly fixed, but they have to be present.

[Kevin S]

Does ski jumping have a 'pitch'? Or downhill mountain biking?

[Snake Plissken]

Does any form of cycling take place on the flat?

[ursus arctos]

Most closing sprints are as close to dead flat as one can get on a public road.

[ursus arctos]

Most outdoor North American playing fields (including baseball fields) have a camber for drainage purposes (it can reach a slope 2% in extreme cases).

This becomes very apparent if one ever watches a game from the dugout (or one of the below field level boxes that exist in some parks) or if one stands on the sideline at a NFL or MLS game. It is rather less noticeable from even the first row of the stands and invisible from standard television angles.

[Kevin S]

I was thinking not road races because they don't have hills written into the rules in the way that they (presumably) do for MTB competitions.

However track cycling takes place on a very 3D arena.

Track geometry
Form
3.6.067 The inner edge of the track shall consist of two curves connected by two parallel straight lines. The entrance and exit of the bends shall be designed so that the transition is gradual.
The banking of the track shall be determined by taking into account the radius of the curves and the maximum speeds achieved in the various disciplines.

Length
3.6.068 The length of the track must lie between 133 metres and 500 metres inclusive. The length of a track shall be such that a whole number of laps or half laps shall give a distance of precisely 1 kilometre, with a tolerance of + 5 centimetres.
For the World Championships and the Olympic Games the length must be 250 metres.
In the interest of the development of track cycling, the UCI may grant a special dispensation for Velodromes already in use.
3.6.069 The length of the track shall be measured 20 cm above the inner edge of the track (the upper edge of the blue band).

[Kevin S]

XC MTB:
§ 2 Course
4.2.016 The course for a cross-country race normally includes a variety of terrain such as road sections, forest tracks, fields, and earth or gravel paths, and include significant amounts of climbing and descending. Paved or tarred/asphalt roads can not exceed 15% of the total course.

Downhill MTB:
§ 2 Course
4.3.004 The course for a downhill must follow a descending route.
4.3.005 The course comprises varied terrain sections: narrow and broad tracks, woodland roads and paths, field paths and rocky tracks. There normally are a mixture of fast and technical
sections. The emphasis of the course is to test the riders' technical skills and their physical ability.
4.3.006 The length of the course and the duration of the event are determined as follows:
Maximum
Course length 3500 m
Duration of the event 5 minutes

BMX:
2. Starting hill
The starting hill must accommodate a track width of at least 10 metres and be at an elevation at least 1.5 metres, preferably 2.5 metres above the grade of the first straight. The initial incline extending from the starting gate to level grade must be at least 12 metres in length.

[Kevin S]

Cyclocross (CX) does not specify anything non-flat is required, but when setting up your course you have the option of adding some artificial obstacles, namely, planks, sandpits and - ta da - steps.

[ursus arctos]

I thought that steps were required. Perhaps only in UCI events?

[Hot Pepsi]

Most outdoor North American playing fields (including baseball fields) have a camber for drainage purposes (it can reach a slope 2% in extreme cases).

This becomes very apparent if one ever watches a game from the dugout (or one of the below field level boxes that exist in some parks) or if one stands on the sideline at a NFL or MLS game. It is rather less noticeable from even the first row of the stands and invisible from standard television angles.

I always thought that was called a “crown.”

[ursus arctos]

It is over here.

[Simon G]

Most outdoor North American playing fields (including baseball fields) have a camber for drainage purposes (it can reach a slope 2% in extreme cases).

This becomes very apparent if one ever watches a game from the dugout (or one of the below field level boxes that exist in some parks) or if one stands on the sideline at a NFL or MLS game. It is rather less noticeable from even the first row of the stands and invisible from standard television angles.

A lot of football pitches have that over here.

The most pronounced one I've seen is Grimsby's: