UK Athletics charged with manslaughter over death of Paralympian

UK Athletics and the organisation’s former head of sport Keith Davies have been charged with manslaughter over the death of Paralympian Abdullah Hayayei.

Hayayei died aged 36 after a metal cage fell on him while training at Newham Leisure Centre, London in July 2017.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has charged UK Athletics Limited with “corporate manslaughter and a health and safety at work act offence”.

Davies, 77, has been charged with “gross negligence manslaughter and a health and safety at work act offence”.

UK Athletics and Davies will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on January 31.

Hayayei was training for the World Para-athletics Championships in London at the time of the incident.

The United Arab Emirates thrower had been set to compete in the F34 shot put, discus and javelin events.

Hayayei, a father of five, finished sixth in the javelin and seventh in the shot put when making his Paralympic debut at Rio 2016.

London 2017 was due to be his second appearance at a World Championships.

At the 2015 event in Doha, Qatar, Hayayei finished fifth in the discus and eighth in the shot put.

A moment of silence was held in honour of Hayayei during the opening ceremony of the World Para-athletics Championships at London Stadium.

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