An Old Bailey judge has fined UK Athletics £350,000 and £44,000 costs after hearing how a Paralympic athlete died when equipment fell on him at a training ground in east London.
Shot putter Abdullah Hayayei died when a metal cage collapsed while he was preparing for the World Para Athletics Championships in 2017.
He had previously represented the United Arab Emirates at the Rio Paralympic Games when he competed in the javelin and shot put.
Judge Richard Marks KC described Mr Hayayei’s death as “tragic, premature and entirely avoidable”.
He also handed former UKA sporting director Keith Davies, 79, a 175-hour community service order after hearing how he was in charge of the team, which had been assembled without vital motherboards.
The court heard how a strong gust of wind had collapsed the cage and Mr Hayayei had died from head injuries after being hit by a heavy metal bar.
The athlete was a 36-year-old wheelchair user living with cerebral palsy.
The court heard from his widow Badriah, who said his death had left her alone with five young children.
UK Athletics had been found guilty of a charge of corporate manslaughter at a previous hearing in February. At the same hearing, Davies was charged with breaching the health and safety law.
The investigation and legal process following Mr. Hayayei’s death has taken almost a decade to complete.
Police said their investigation had involved years of meticulous work by detectives who discovered photographs of about a dozen athletic events in which UK Athletics officials had used the same cage. They showed that the restraints were not being used to secure the equipment.
In sentencing, Judge Marks said Mr Hayayei’s death was an accident that was sooner or later “waiting to happen”.
Earlier in the hearing, prosecutor John Price KC told the court that in the years after the incident, UKA attempted to blame Mr Davies for the athlete’s death, and even “tried to point the finger” at the Newham location.
He described a statement later submitted by the UKA as “a document deeply unworthy of a national sporting body and one that should be ashamed of”.
In fining UKA, the judge agreed it had been “very unattractive” but it was “a stance” taken by its previous management team.
He was disappointed by the organization’s current leaders, who expressed their “sincere regret.”
The UKA, he said, is essentially “a passionate members’ club” and aims to develop elite athletes and the sport at grassroots level.
It noted that the organization had a turnover of £13.8 million in 2025 with a projected loss of £400,000. He gave UKA six years to pay the fine on the premises.
In a statement, UK Athletics said it was “deeply sorry” and that “substantial changes” had been made to safety and governance.
“While nothing can undo what happened, there has been a determined focus on learning from these events and ensuring that stricter standards and safeguards are in place across athletics,” UK Athletics said.
“We respectfully accept the court’s decision today and remain committed to continuing that work with the seriousness and responsibility that this case demands.”