UK Athletics has pleaded guilty to corporate manslaughter over the death of United Arab Emirates Paralympian Abdullah Hayayei, who was killed in a training accident in London in 2017.
Hayayei, aged 36, died after a metal throwing cage fell on him while he was preparing for the World Para Athletics Championships at Newham Leisure Centre in July 2017.
At a hearing at the Old Bailey on Friday, UK Athletics entered a fresh guilty plea, having previously denied the charge in March 2025.
Keith Davies, 78, who served as head of sport for the 2017 championships, also pleaded guilty to a health and safety offence. He had earlier denied a charge of gross negligence manslaughter.
Prosecutor Karen Robinson told the court that the Crown would not pursue a trial, requesting a two-day sentencing hearing in early June. The remaining charges are expected to be addressed at the conclusion of sentencing.
Davies was granted continued bail and instructed to cooperate with the Probation Service in preparing a pre-sentence report.
A Prominent Paralympic Career
At the time of the incident, Hayayei was training for the London 2017 championships and was due to compete in the F34 classification for shot put, discus and javelin.
The Emirati thrower made his Paralympic debut at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, where he finished sixth in the javelin and seventh in the shot put.
He had also represented the UAE at the 2015 World Championships in Doha, securing fifth place in the discus and eighth in the shot put. London 2017 was set to mark his second appearance at a world championship event.
A moment of silence was observed in his honour during the opening ceremony at London Stadium, paying tribute to the father of five whose life was cut short ahead of the competition.
Sentencing in the case is scheduled for June.
