UK Athletics fined £350,000 over death of Paralympic athlete

UK Athletics on Friday was fined £350,000 ($471,520) on Tuesday over the death of Abdullah Hayayei, who was killed in 2017 while the Paralympic athlete was ‌training in London.

Hayayei, from the United Arab Emirates, was preparing for the 2017 World Paralympic Athletics Championships at the Newham Leisure Centre when a metal throwing cage fell on him.

The 36-year-old athlete — who had made his debut in the javelin and shot put at the 2016 ⁠Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro — was pronounced dead at the scene.

A police and health and safety investigation found that the stabilising metal lattice base plates of the discus cage were missing.

UK Athletics pleaded guilty to corporate manslaughter in February and was issued with the fine and told to pay £44,000 court costs.

The head of sport for the 2017 World Paralympic Athletics Championships Keith Davies, 78, also pleaded guilty to an offence under the ‌Health ⁠and Safety at Work Act. He was sentenced to a community order with 175 hours of unpaid work.

"There can be no doubt that UK Athletics were grossly negligent in their safety management, which caused the death of a talented athlete," ⁠Colin Gibbs from Britain Crown Prosecution Service said.

"They left equipment in a seriously unsafe condition, and Mr Hayayei’s death was wholly avoidable."

UK Athletics said it was deeply ⁠and genuinely sorry for what had occurred.

"The failings identified in this case should never have happened," the organisation said in a statement. "While nothing can ⁠undo what happened, there has been a determined focus on learning from these events and ensuring stronger standards and safeguards are in place throughout athletics."

Comments

Nigeria backs ANOCA rotation policy as Uganda lands 2031 African Games hosting rights

By Maxwell Kumoye Uganda's emergence as host of the 2031 African Games has been linked to the rotational hosting policy of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA), a framework designed to ensure equitable distribution of the continent's biggest multi-sport event among Africa's regions. Investigations have revealed that the East African nation benefited significantly from the policy, which seeks to spread hosting opportunities across the continent rather than concentrating them in a few countries. The decision is also understood to have been aided by Nigeria's withdrawal from the race, leaving Uganda as the sole candidate for the prestigious event. For Nigeria, supporting the rotational arrangement aligns with the country's longstanding contribution to the growth of the African Games movement. The nation has already hosted the continental showpiece twice, first in Lagos in 1973 and again in Abuja in 2003, making it one of only a handful of c...

Glazer family members studying Manchester United stake sale, Bloomberg News reports

Some Glazer family members have been debating whether ‌to sell their stake in Manchester United FC (MANU.N), opens new tab after more than two decades ⁠of ownership, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. Several stakeholders in the Glazer family have been studying ‌the ⁠possibility of divesting part or all of their holdings in the English ⁠Premier League football club, according to the report. — Reuters

Protests and last-minute construction work disrupt Mexico City ahead of World Cup

Eight days before Mexico City kicks off the World Cup, mass protests by teachers and retired judges, road closures and last-minute construction work caused chaos in the capital on Wednesday for millions of residents who face long delays and complex rerouting of their daily commutes. On June 11, Mexico City will host the inaugural World Cup match between ‌Mexico and South Africa at Azteca stadium in the capital. With Mexico in the global spotlight, teachers and other groups have staged marches and blocked major avenues. They have said their protests, which are unrelated to the tournament, could intensify unless President Claudia Sheinbaum's government addresses their demands. The CNTE, a dissident wing of the national teachers' union, has threatened mass demonstrations at the opening of the World Cup in official statements shared on social media. The union is demanding the government fulfill a campaign pledge to repeal a 2007 law that overhauled the pension and ⁠social securit...

Iran to play World Cup warm-up behind closed doors, head to Mexico on Saturday

Iran will play their final World Cup warm-up behind closed doors in Turkey on Thursday before departing for their tournament base in Mexico on Saturday, the Iranian FA (FFIRI) said on Wednesday. Although it was one of the first teams to ‌qualify, Iran's participation in the World Cup has been in doubt since the U.S. and Israel launched air strikes on the Islamic Republic in late February. The squad have played three friendlies in two training camps in Antalya since the start of the war - losing to Nigeria and beating Costa Rica and Gambia - and on Thursday will face Mali ⁠in the Turkish sea resort. "Considering the importance of the Iranian national football team's friendly match against Mali, and in line with the tactical objectives of Iran's head coach, tomorrow's match against Mali will be held behind closed doors and without media attendance," FFIRI said in a statement. The FFIRI persuaded FIFA to allow the team to swap its tournament base from Tucson, A...

Z-PRO MEDIA

Search This Blog