UK Athletics fined £350,000 for corporate manslaughter

A British athletics governing body has been fined £350,000 after pleading guilty to corporate manslaughter in the death of a Paralympic athlete during a training session in London. Abdullah Hayayei, a 36-year-old father of five from the United Arab Emirates, was killed on July 11, 2017, when a five-foot-tall metal throwing cage collapsed on him at Newham Leisure Centre.

Hayayei was preparing to represent his country in the F34 class discus, javelin, and shot put at the World Para Athletics Championships. The court heard the 440-pound cage toppled over because it had been incorrectly assembled without its stabilizing base plate. Judge Richard Marks described the death as tragic, untimely, and wholly avoidable, stating the incident was an accident waiting to happen.

In addition to the fine, UK Athletics Ltd was ordered to pay £44,000 in legal costs. Keith Davies, 79, the head of sport for the 2017 championships, pleaded guilty to a health and safety charge and was sentenced to 175 hours of unpaid community service. The judge noted Davies, a retired physical education teacher, knew or should have known the base plates were integral, especially as an identical cage had collapsed...