The widow of an Emirati Paralympian killed while training in London has told a court of the impact his death has had on her family.
Abdullah Hayayei died in 2017 when a shot put throwing cage collapsed as he prepared for the World Para Athletics Championships in the UK capital. His widow Badriah Hayayei said he had set out to "represent his country and raise the name of the UAE, but he returned as a corpse" as a result of negligence.
The couple's five children were aged between two and 14 when they lost their father.
On Monday, Ms Hayayei attended the first session of a two-day sentencing hearing at the Old Bailey by video link from the UAE. She called for those responsible to receive a “just” punishment.
Mr Hayayei, 36, suffered a severe head injury when the 200kg metal structure fell on him at Newham Leisure Centre on July 11, 2017. The court was told that the 1.5-metre tall cage collapsed on the athlete, who used a wheelchair and had cerebral palsy, because it was put up incorrectly and did not have its base plate, with the incident described as an “accident waiting to happen”.
UK Athletics pleaded guilty to corporate manslaughter and Keith Davies, 79, who was head of sport for the 2017 World Paralympic Athletics Championships, admitted a health and safety charge.
In a victim statement read to court, Mrs Hayayei said: “It was a huge shock to me because I was waiting for news of his victory and success in the championships and suddenly the news of his death reached me. At first I could not comprehend what happened and refused to believe the news.”
She said she suffered “greatly”, psychologically and financially, as a result of losing her husband. “I was pained even more when I found out what had happened could have been avoided if safety procedures had been properly applied," she added.
“I hope the court looks at the magnitude of the harm to our family because Abdullah was not just a person who passed away. He was a father, a husband with responsibilities, dreams and a future. I hope the court takes a just stance against everyone who caused this because what happened was not just a simple mistake but the result of negligence, gross negligence, that could have been avoided if safety procedures adhered to."
In the five years since UK Athletics acquired two cages originally used in the 2012 Olympic Games, they had never been properly assembled with the base plates attached, the court heard. One of them collapsed in 2012, but no injuries were reported on that occasion, the court was told.
Before the deadly incident, the cages had been used at five public events, including anniversary games in Stratford and at Swansea University Stadium.
“Over this period, very many athletes will have been within the cages and many more standing or passing close by," said Prosecutor John Price KC. “It was a perennial hazard, or to use a familiar phrase, an accident waiting to happen.”
Tragic moment
The two cages had been given to UK Athletics by the organisation committee for the London Games. Mr Hayayei had been training under the supervision of the UAE team coach, Ayman Ibrahim, and his assistant.
In a statement, Mr Ibrahim said: “Moments before the incident happened, Abdullah was inside the throwing circle and was practising the shot put. While Abdullah was carrying out the throws, we were surprised by the wind that came all of a sudden and moved the whole cage, causing the bar on the top to fall directly on his head. My assistant and I rushed to help.”
Mr Hayayei had to be cut free from netting and, despite the efforts of medical staff, he did not regain consciousness and was pronounced dead at 7.20pm.
Mr Davies, who supervised the construction of the cage in Newham, told police it was erected in accordance with the instructions, but Mr Price said that was not “truthful".
Judge Richard Marks KC is expected to sentence UK Athletics and Mr Davies on Tuesday. According to Sentencing Council guidelines, corporate manslaughter carries a fine of between £180,000 and £20 million ($241,600 and $26.4 million).
UK Athletics, the national governing body for athletics in the country, had an annual revenue of £13.8 million, according to latest accounts to March 2025. However, its income, primarily from grants and sponsorship, is largely matched by expenditure.
Rising to the top
Mr Hayayei had fought back from severe injuries suffered during an accident when he was a serviceman in 2001. While training with the UAE Armed Forces, a metal rod fell on his head, resulting in severe nerve damage and the disability he had until his death.
Mr Hayayei continued to work for the Armed Forces after he recovered and became a para-athlete.
His teammate Mohammed Al Hammadi, who won the UAE’s first medals – a silver and bronze – at the World Para Athletics Championships in 2017, dedicated them to Mr Hayayei and gave them to his children. Paying tribute at the time of his funeral, his elder sister Mariam Hayayei described him as a kind, helpful and fun person who had taken care of his mother after his father died in 1983.
“He was only three years old when our father passed away and when he became older, he took the responsibility of our mother and she relied on him for everything – he was her favourite son,” Ms Hayayei said. "Playing sports was one of the main things that encouraged him to progress and improve, as he found passion in it, was a helping hand to all his colleagues and managed to obtain many medals and trophies.”
