Abdullah Hayaei was killed in London in 2017 while preparing for the World Para Athletics Championships.
Published June 2, 2026
British Athletics was fined 350,000 British pounds ($471,000) on Tuesday over the death of Paralympic athlete Abdullah Hayaei, who died while training in London in 2017.
Hayaei, from the United Arab Emirates, was preparing for the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships at Newham Leisure Center when a metal throwing cage fell on him.
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The 36-year-old athlete, who made his debut in the javelin throw and shot put at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympic Games in Brazil, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police and health and safety investigations revealed that the discus cage’s stabilizing metal grid base plate was missing.
UK Athletics pleaded guilty to corporate manslaughter in February, was fined and ordered to pay 44,000 pounds ($59,000) in legal costs.
Keith Davis, 78, sports director for the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships, also pleaded guilty to offenses under the Health and Safety at Work Act. He was given a community order with 175 hours of unpaid work.
Colin Gibbs, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “There is no doubt that British Athletics committed gross lapses in safety management, leading to the death of a talented athlete.”
“They left the equipment in a very dangerous condition and Mr Hayaei’s death was completely avoidable.”
British Athletics expressed its deep and sincere regret over what happened.
“The deficiencies identified in this incident should never have occurred,” the group said in a statement. “While we cannot undo what has happened, there has been a determined focus on learning from these events and ensuring stronger standards and safety measures are put in place across athletics.”
