UK Athletics has been fined £350,000 ($656,000) over the death of Abdullah Hayayei, who was killed in 2017 while the Paralympic athlete was training in London.
Hayayei, from the United Arab Emirates, was preparing for the 2017 World Paralympic Athletics Championships at the Newham Leisure Centre when a metal throwing cage fell on him.
The 36-year-old athlete, who had made his debut in the javelin and shot-put at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and lived with cerebral palsy, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The court heard from his widow, Badriah, who said his death had left her coping alone with five young children.
A police and health and safety investigation found that the stabilising metal lattice base plates of the discus cage were missing.
“There can be no doubt that UK Athletics were grossly negligent in their safety management, which caused the death of a talented athlete,” Colin Gibbs from Britain Crown Prosecution Service said.
“They left equipment in a seriously unsafe condition, and Mr Hayayei’s death was wholly avoidable.”
Abdullah Hayayei was set to compete at the IPC World ParaAthletics Championships 2017, but never got there. (Getty Images: British Athletics/S Bardens)
UK Athletics pleaded guilty to corporate manslaughter in February and was issued with the fine and told to pay £44,000 ($82,500) court costs.
Judge Richard Marks said Hayayei’s death was “tragic, untimely and wholly avoidable” as he announced the sentence during a hearing at Central London Criminal Court on Tuesday.
Keith Davies, 79, who was head of sport for the 2017 world para athletics championships in London, was ordered to perform 175 hours of unpaid work after he plead guilty to a health and safety charge.
Davies, a retired physical education teacher, either knew or should have known about the problems with the equipment because of the previous collapse of an identical cage, Marks said.
“This was an accident which sooner or later was waiting to happen,” the judge said.
UK Athletics said it was deeply and genuinely sorry for what had occurred.
“The failings identified in this case should never have happened,” the organisation said in a statement.
“While nothing can undo what happened, there has been a determined focus on learning from these events and ensuring stronger standards and safeguards are in place throughout athletics.”
ABC/Wires
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