The unlikely, and dangerous, sport of ottering is largely unknown outside the ranks of its participants. In fact, it is possible that there has only been three occasions on which it has been mentioned in the press.

The secretive nature of the sport may be due to the fact that it is performed by journalists; people who earn their living writing about others, but are less enthusiastic about having the spotlight turned on themselves.

The revelation came about in 1998, when the Australian Treasurer, Peter Costello, spoke at a Press Club luncheon following the presentation of his latest budget. During this speech he took some pleasure in revealing the injury statistics from that year's event. These included a broken wrist, ankle, and some fingers.

It is from three small press clippings¹ of the period that we may deduce the nature of this sport.

• Participants: Parliamentary Press Gallery and Finance Journalists.

• Occasion: Following the release of the Australian Commonwealth Government budget.

• Location: A nightclub in Canberra².

• Method: The 'standard' otter is performed by sliding down a staircase on one's stomach. The 'double' Otter is the same as the standard, but with a passenger or rider aboard. This method carries a higher risk of injury for both parties. The 'power' otter is assumed to be the same as the 'standard' otter but with a running start.

• Scoring: This has not been revealed. It is likely to be assessed on style and 'degree of difficulty', if at all. The activity is linked with consumption of alcohol, and therefore scoring may be completely irrelevant.