Home / Jeff Adams

Jeff Adams – Variety Ontario Hall of Fame

Born: November 15th, 1970

Hometown: Mississauga, ON

Sport: Wheelchair Racing

Paralympian, six-time world champion, Olympic broadcaster, and Osgoode Law School graduate, at the height of his career, Jeff competed in six consecutive Summer Paralympics, and won a total of thirteen medals.

His journey began at age nine when the radiation therapy used to treat his cancer left him paralyzed from the waist down. Unwavering in his love of sport, however, by eighteen Jeff was participating in elite competitions, his sights always set on a Paralympic gold. Fuelled by this desire, he quickly made a name for himself as a leading contender in the world of wheelchair racing.

Jeff Adams

In terms of his competitive accomplishments, Jeff’s Paralympic record includes three gold, four silver, and six bronze medals. He is also a six-time World Champion.

The only thing overshadowing Jeff’s athletic achievements is his advocacy work, and to bring wheelchair racing to center stage. This includes climbing both the Greek Acropolis and the CN Tower in a specially designed wheelchair, but also serving as Chair on a number of high-profile boards, such as the Accessibility Committee for the Toronto 2008 Olympic Bid, and the Ontarians with Disability Advisory Council. Recently, he helped integrate the Canadian Paralympic program into Athletics Canada, where it is now administered more equitably alongside able-bodied sport disciplines.

Following his retirement from sport in 2008, Jeff entered the world of business, using his extensive in the world of Para-sport to co-found two medical-engineering wheelchair companies (Icon Wheelchairs Inc., and later, Marvel Wheelchairs Inc.). Always driven, he sold these companies after seven years to pursue a degree in law at Osgoode Law School. He currently works at Faskin Martineau LLP, and sits on the Equity Advisory Group at the Law Society of Ontario.

In recognition of his overwhelming competitive success and public service, Jeff was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Terry Fox Hall of Fame.

You can find more on Jeff here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CzFjlkz684&feature=emb_title