UK Athletics fined over ‘wholly avoidable’ death of Paralympian after cage collapsed

2 Jun 2026 • 7:49 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

UK Athletics fined over ‘wholly avoidable’ death of Paralympian after cage collapsed

  • UK Athletics was fined £350,000 for the “wholly avoidable” death of Paralympian Abdullah Hayayei, who was killed when a shot put cage collapsed on him in 2017.
  • Hayayei, 36, was preparing for the World Athletics Championships in London when the 440lb metal structure fell on him at Newham Leisure Centre due to incorrect assembly and missing base plates.
  • Keith Davies, 79, head of sport for the 2017 World Paralympic Athletics Championships, received a community order for a health and safety charge, having been “on notice” after a previous collapse of an identical cage.
  • The court heard that the cages, acquired from the 2012 Olympics, had never been properly assembled with base plates in the five years prior to the incident, creating a “perennial hazard.”
  • Hayayei’s widow, Badriah, described the profound impact of his death on her and their five children, emphasizing that it was a result of “gross negligence” that could have been avoided.

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