UK Athletics admits corporate manslaughter in death of Paralympian
UK Athletics has admitted corporate manslaughter at the Old Bailey for causing the death of Emirati Paralympian Abdullah Hayayei, who was killed when a throwing cage collapsed onto him during a training session, reports BritPanorama.
The 36-year-old athlete suffered fatal head injuries after being struck by a metal pole at Newham Leisure Centre in east London on 11 July 2017. Hayayei had been preparing to compete for the United Arab Emirates in the F34 class discus, javelin, and shot put events at the World Para Athletics Championships when the tragedy occurred.
Emergency services rushed to the scene after the incident, but medical staff were unable to save Mr Hayayei, who was pronounced dead at the leisure centre. A joint investigation by Scotland Yard and Newham Council’s health and safety team subsequently determined that the throwing cage had been incorrectly assembled, rendering it unstable.
According to the charge, UK Athletics caused the athlete’s death by “supplying for use at an organised para-athletics training event in which he participated a discus/shot put cage which it used and operated without its base structure and which collapsed” while he was practising shot putting. The governing body had previously denied a lesser health and safety offence before entering its guilty plea on Friday before Judge Mark Lucraft KC.
Keith Davies, 78, from Leytonstone in east London, who served as head of sport for the 2017 World Paralympic Athletics Championships, also entered a guilty plea to a health and safety offence at Friday’s hearing. Davies had initially denied a charge of gross negligence manslaughter.
Prosecutor Karen Robinson asked the court to schedule a two-day sentencing hearing for early June, confirming that no trial would be pursued and remaining charges would be addressed following sentencing. The 78-year-old was granted continued bail, with the condition that he cooperate with the Probation Service to prepare a pre-sentence report.
Following the hearing, UK Athletics issued a statement expressing that it “deeply regrets” what happened to Mr Hayayei. “Our deepest thoughts and sympathy remain with his family, friends, teammates and all those affected by the events of that day,” the governing body stated.
The admission of corporate manslaughter brings to a close years of legal proceedings stemming from the 2017 tragedy, which cast a shadow over the World Para Athletics Championships being hosted in London that summer. Sentencing for both UK Athletics and Davies is expected to take place over two days in early June.
This situation serves as a stark reminder of the responsibilities that governing bodies have towards the safety of athletes, highlighting the need for stringent safety protocols in sporting environments.
