LONDON, Feb 2: Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps admitted Sunday that he had engaged in “regrettable” behaviour and “demonstrated bad judgment” after a photo was published that appeared to show him smoking cannabis.

A British newspaper, the News of the World, published the photo allegedly showing the multiple Olympic gold medal-winner inhaling from a glass pipe which is generally used to smoke the drug.

“I engaged in behaviour which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment,” Phelps said in a statement.

“I’m 23 years old, and despite the successes I have had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner that people have come to expect from me.

“For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public –– it will not happen again.”

The newspaper said the picture was taken on November 6, almost three months after Phelps won an historic eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics, when he went to a party at the University of South Carolina.

It claimed he was visiting Jordan Matthews, a girl he was secretly dating who was a student at the university, and threw himself into a series of parties in houses and bars.—AFP