UK Athletics has admitted corporate manslaughter in connection with the death of Paralympian Abdullah Hayayei, who was fatally injured during a training session in London in 2017.
Hayayei, 36, died after a metal throwing cage collapsed on him while he was preparing for the World Para-athletics Championships at Newham Leisure Centre in July of that year.
The governing body entered a guilty plea at the Old Bailey, having previously denied the charge.
At the same hearing, Keith Davies, Head of Sport for the 2017 championships, admitted a health and safety offence. A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for early June and is expected to last two days.
Prosecutor Karen Robinson informed the court that the Crown would not proceed to trial, adding that any outstanding matters would be addressed at the conclusion of sentencing. Davies, 78, was granted continued bail on condition that he cooperate with the Probation Service in preparing a pre-sentence report.
Hayayei, a father of five from the United Arab Emirates, had represented his country at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, where he finished sixth in the javelin and seventh in the shot put. He was due to compete in the F34 shot put, discus and javelin events at the London 2017 World Championships at the time of the incident.
The London tournament would have marked his second appearance at a World Championships, following his participation in the 2015 edition in Doha, Qatar, where he placed fifth in the discus and eighth in the shot put.
A moment of silence was observed in his memory during the opening ceremony at London Stadium.
