Wheelchair athlete fights drug suspension

TORONTO, June 13 (UPI) -- Jeff Adams, one of Canada's top Paralympics contenders, claims a positive drug test was the result of a bizarre incident in a Toronto goth bar.

Adams, a six-time world champion in wheelchair racing, received a two-year suspension after testing positive for cocaine. In a news conference Tuesday at his lawyer's office, he said a woman he did not know forced cocaine into his mouth in the since-closed bar Vatikan, The Toronto Star reported.

"There was no cheating," he said. "There was no performance enhancing. But I'm being sanctioned in the same way as a cheater. The substance was involuntarily consumed."

Arbitrator Richard McLaren said he found Adams's story unbelievable even though the champion gave consistent testimony even on cross-examination. He suggested if the story was true Adams, who is married to a police officer, would have reported the incident to police.

Adams, known for his red Mohawk hair cut, has competed in four Paralympics, winning five medals, including a gold, in Sydney. His suspension ends in time for him to compete in Beijing in 2008.

His lawyer plans to appeal.