UK Athletics Pleads Guilty To Corporate Manslaughter
UK Athletics has pleaded guilty to the corporate manslaughter of Paralympian Abdullah Hayayei.
Hayayei died aged 36 after a metal cage fell on him while training at Newham Leisure Centre, London in July 2017.
UK Athletics pleaded not guilty to the charge in March 2025 but entered a fresh plea on Friday at an Old Bailey hearing.
Keith Davies, the head of sport for the 2017 World Para-athletics Championships, also pleaded guilty to a health and safety charge, having previously denied gross negligence manslaughter.
Prosecutor Karen Robinson asked the court to set a two-day sentencing hearing in early June, confirming the prosecution would not seek a trial and the outstanding charges would be dealt with at the conclusion of the sentencing.
Davies, 78, was granted continued bail on the condition he liaise with the Probation Service for a pre-sentence report.
Hayayei was training for the World Para-athletics Championships in London at the time of the incident.
The United Arab Emirates thrower had been set to compete in the F34 shot put, discus and javelin events.
Hayayei, a father of five, finished sixth in the javelin and seventh in the shot put when making his Paralympic debut at Rio 2016.
London 2017 was due to be his second appearance at a worlds. At the 2015 event in Doha, Qatar, Hayayei finished fifth in the discus and eighth in the shot put.
A moment of silence was held in honour of Hayayei during the opening ceremony at London Stadium.
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