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🇦🇺 Australia /Crime & Justice

'Grossly negligent' UK Athletics fined for 'avoidable' death of Paralympian

From ABC Australia · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News From a news agency Outcome reported
  • UK Athletics has been fined £350,000 ($656,000) for corporate manslaughter following the death of Paralympian Abdullah Hayayei in 2017.
  • Hayayei was fatally crushed when a metal throwing cage collapsed on him during training for the World Paralympic Athletics Championships in London.
  • The organization pleaded guilty to corporate manslaughter, and a former head of sport was ordered to perform community service for a health and safety violation.

UK Athletics has been ordered to pay a substantial fine of £350,000 (approximately $656,000) after pleading guilty to corporate manslaughter in the death of Paralympian Abdullah Hayayei. The athlete was tragically killed in 2017 when a metal throwing cage collapsed on him while he was preparing for the World Paralympic Athletics Championships in London.

Hayayei, an athlete from the United Arab Emirates who competed in javelin and shot put at the 2016 Rio Paralympics and lived with cerebral palsy, was pronounced dead at the scene. An investigation revealed that the stabilizing metal lattice base plates for the discus cage were missing, rendering the equipment dangerously unsafe.

There can be no doubt that UK Athletics were grossly negligent in their safety management, which caused the death of a talented athlete. They left equipment in a seriously unsafe condition, and Mr Hayayei's death was wholly avoidable.

— Colin GibbsColin Gibbs from the Crown Prosecution Service outlines the gross negligence by UK Athletics that led to the athlete's death.

Colin Gibbs of the Crown Prosecution Service stated, "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."

This was an accident which sooner or later was waiting to happen.

— Judge Richard MarksJudge Richard Marks comments on the preventable nature of the accident due to known equipment issues.

In addition to the fine, Keith Davies, the former head of sport for the 2017 championships, received a sentence of 175 hours of unpaid community work. Davies pleaded guilty to a health and safety charge. Judge Richard Marks noted that Davies knew or should have known about the equipment's instability due to a previous collapse of an identical cage, calling the incident "an accident which sooner or later was waiting to happen."

UK Athletics issued a statement expressing deep regret: "The failings identified in this case should never have happened." The organization emphasized its commitment to learning from the tragedy and implementing stronger safety standards and safeguards throughout the sport.

The failings identified in this case should never have happened.

— UK AthleticsUK Athletics acknowledges the severe failures that led to the athlete's death.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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