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UK Athletics pleads guilty to corporate manslaughter after Paralympian death in 2017

LONDON (AP) — UK Athletics pleaded guilty on Friday to the corporate manslaughter of a Paralympian who died during training.

Abdullah Hayayei was fatally injured when he was hit on the head by a metal pole at Newham Leisure Centre in east London on July 11, 2017.

UK Athletics Ltd, the national governing body for athletics, admitted corporate manslaughter at an Old Bailey hearing, having previously denied the charge.

The 36-year-old Hayayei was preparing to represent the United Arab Emirates in the F34 class discus, javelin and shot put at the World Para Athletics Championships in London when part of a throwing cage fell on him.

Keith Davies, who was head of sport for the 2017 World Paralympic Athletics Championships, had denied gross negligence manslaughter. On Friday, the 78-year-old Davies pleaded guilty to a health and safety charge.

The fresh pleas were entered at a hearing before Judge Mark Lucraft.

Prosecutor Karen Robinson invited the court to set a two-day sentencing hearing in early June.

She confirmed the prosecution would not seek a trial and the outstanding charges would be dealt with at the conclusion of the sentencing.

Davies was granted continued bail on the condition he liaise with the Probation Service for a pre-sentence report.

Hayayei competed at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympics, finishing sixth in javelin and seventh in shot put.

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Beijing bans 4 New Zealand lawmakers from entering China because they visited Taiwan

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Beijing banned four New Zealand lawmakers from traveling to China for a year and demanded they apologize because they visited Taiwan on a parliamentary trip, according to a message from the Chinese embassy conveyed via parliamentary officials and shown to The Associated Press on Thursday. China has hit lawmakers from other countries with sanctions related to contact with Taiwan before, but it's the first time for New Zealand parliamentarians, the government in Wellington said. Beijing has been increasing pressure in recent years on the democratically governed island that it claims as its own territory. Two lawmakers reached by the AP on Thursday rejected the demand for an apology, while the other two could not be immediately reached. New Zealand's government said it would express concern about the travel bans to Beijing. The elected officials visited Taipei in May, as New Zealand parliamentarians have done “for decades,” a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
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