Fri, June 05, 2026
UK Athletics fined following conclusion of proceedings relating to 2017 athlete fatality
After pleading guilty to corporate manslaughter following the death of Abdullah Hayayei, an Emirati Paralympian who was fatally hit on the head by a metal pole during preparation for the London World Paralympic Athletics Championships in 2017, UK Athletics (UKA) has been fined £350,000 and ordered to pay £44,000 in costs over six years. In sentencing, the court described the circumstances leading to the incident as "wholly avoidable".
36-year-old father-of-five, Hayayei, represented the United Arab Emirates in javelin, shot put and discus. He had cerebral palsy and competed in the F34 classification for athletes with coordination impairments affecting muscle control and movement.
He was training at Newham Leisure Centre in East London on July 11, 2017, when the pole, which was attached to a throwing cage, fell on him. Hayayei was pronounced dead at the centre 20 minutes after the incident. Investigations by the Metropolitan Police and the London Borough of Newham found that the "10 ladder-like metal connectors linking the cage's bases and posts" had not been used for approximately five years (2012–2017). The prosecution case was that this failure contributed to the collapse of the throwing cage and the resulting fatal incident. Officers examined more than 1,500 documents, 160 statements and spoke to 80 witnesses during the process.
Keith Davies, who was Head of Sport for the 2017 World Paralympic Athletics Championships, and who was involved in the purchase of the cage before the 2012 London Olympics and led its assembly and use until July 2017, denied gross negligence manslaughter, but then pleaded guilty to a health and safety charge. Following his guilty plea to the health and safety offence, the charge of gross negligence manslaughter was not pursued. Davies, 79, has now been handed a community order requiring 175 hours of unpaid work.
Judge Richard Marks KC noted evidence that a similar cage collapse had occurred in 2012, although no injuries were reported - however he ruled that a higher financial penalty would compromise the organisation’s important ability to support elite and grassroots athletics.
The organisation faced bankruptcy just two years ago following a drop in broadcast and sponsorship income and event losses.
UKA announced in a statement that it has made “substantial changes” to safety procedures. The organisation also voiced: “The failings identified in this case should never have happened, and UK Athletics is deeply and genuinely sorry.”
