UPDATE: Caught Doping: Canadian Paralympic Athlete Suspended

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In a time when Canadian Olympic and
Paralympic officials are scraping money together for athletes in the Vancouver Olympics in 2010, public opinion and support is very necessary.
Just yesterday it was reported that Air Canada pulled out of supporting some Canadian Pride Week
parades so they could focus their financial support on the Olympics.

Now, Jeff Adams, one of our
seasoned Paralympic athletes has been caught with cocaine in his system. The
penalties are harsh for this result, and he's already been suspended, but what
impression could this make on the public, not to mention their younger fans.
Drug use in sports has always been a problem, but it unfortunate that in the
time leading up to the Olympics Canadian athletes could have this negative
attention brought on them from one bad choice.

 UPDATE MORE DETAILS

[q
url="http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070612/adams_doping_070612/20070612?hub=TopStories"]Wheelchair
racer found guilty of doping infraction

Updated Tue. Jun. 12 2007 2:56 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

Canadian Paralympian Jeff Adams, one of the world's most
recognizable wheelchair athletes, has been suspended from competition
for two years after testing positive for cocaine.

The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport said the violation occurred
during an in-competition test at last year's Canadian wheelchair
marathon championships in Ottawa.

After the positive test, Adams asked for a hearing before an
independent arbitrator, who determined he had committed an anti-doping
violation.

The arbitrator also ruled that Adams should be suspended from
competition for a two-year timeframe, and that he is ineligible to
receive federal sport funding for life.

Cocaine is a prohibited substance on the World Anti-Doping Agency
prohibited list, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport said in a
statement.

In the 57-page decision from the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of
Canada, Adams claims the drug was accidentally ingested after a woman
stuck cocaine in his mouth when he was at a Toronto bar.

The Brampton, Ont. athlete says a catheter he used that night was
also used to provide a urine sample at a race in Ottawa, a week later.

Adams' lawyer Tim Danson argues cocaine was not in his client's
system at the time of the race. He also says the drug has no
performance enhancing qualities.

Adams and Danson are to meet with media later Tuesday, when they will announce what legal steps they plan to take next.

Adams, 36, can appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, the highest tribunal in the sports world.

Adams is a four-time Paralympian and six-time world champion.

At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Adams captured gold in the 800 and
1,500 metres, silver in the 400, and bronze in the 5,000 and 4x100
metre relay.

He also holds world record titles in the 400- and 1,500- metre races

The positive test could have serious ramifications for the sport.

"At any time, when there's a positive test, it impacts athletics,''
Joanne Mortimore, the CEO of Athletics Canada, told The Canadian Press.

"As far as the implications for athletes with a disability, I think
it's the same as a high performance athlete that's tested
positive.''[/q]

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