UK Athletics is preparing to face a substantial fine after admitting responsibility for the death of a Paralympian during shot put training. Father-of-five Abdullah Hayayei, 36, who represented the United Arab Emirates, was hit on the head with a metal pole resulting in fatal injuries at Newham leisure centre in East London on July 11 2017.
Guilty Pleas and Sentencing
UK Athletics Ltd pleaded guilty to corporate manslaughter and Keith Davies, 79, who was head of sport for the 2017 World Paralympic Athletics Championships, also admitted a health and safety charge. Judge Richard Marks KC will sentence UK Athletics and Davies, of Leytonstone, East London, over two days from Monday, June 1 at the Old Bailey. According to Sentencing Council guidelines, corporate manslaughter carries a hefty fine of between £180,000 and £20 million.
Details of the Incident
Mr Hayayei sustained fatal injuries when part of a throwing cage fell on him as he was practicing shot putting. The athlete had been preparing to represent his country in the F34 class discus, javelin and shot put at the World Para Athletics Championships in London. Despite the efforts of police and other emergency services called to the scene, he was pronounced dead. Inquiries found that the throwing cage had not been put up correctly, making it unstable.
Previously, UK Athletics said it "deeply regrets" the incident, adding: "Our deepest thoughts and sympathy remain with his family, friends, team-mates and all those affected by the events of that day." UK Athletics, the national governing body for athletics in the UK, had an annual revenue of £13.8 million, according to latest accounts to March 2025. However, its income, primarily from grants and sponsorship, is largely matched by expenditure.
Investigation and Legal Response
The Metropolitan Police has said the conviction was the result of a meticulous investigation which required detailed engineering expertise to understand the chain of events that led to the tragedy. Officers examined more than 1,500 documents, took around 160 statements, spoke with more than 80 witnesses and collated a number of expert reports.
Colin Gibbs, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Abdullah Hayayei was a father-of-five who should have been able to compete on the world stage and return home safely to his family. There can be no doubt that UK Athletics were grossly negligent in their safety management, which caused the death of a talented athlete."
He added: "They left equipment in a seriously unsafe condition and Mr Hayayei's death was wholly avoidable - a fact the organisation has admitted. For years there was a failure to inspect, maintain and properly manage basic safety components, leaving a heavy metal structure dangerously unstable."
