World Para Athletics Championships in Delhi: After dogs bite Kenya, Japan coaches, MCD ramps up its efforts to catch strays around JLN Stadium

The development comes after Kenyan sprint coach Dennis Mwanzo and Japanese assistant coach Mieko Okumatsu were bitten by stray dogs on Friday morning at the warm-up track of the stadium

Written by Drishti Jain

New Delhi | October 5, 2025 05:02 AM IST

3 min read

Dog catchers at the JLN Stadium, the venue of the World Para Athletics Championships (Express Photo)

A day after two foreign coaches were bitten by stray dogs at the 12th World Para Athletics Championships being held in Delhi, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has stepped up its efforts to catch stray dogs inside and around the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

A senior MCD official told The Indian Express that five vehicles have been deployed on Saturday to catch stray dogs near the stadium. “In all, 27 dogs have been caught since September 25 and placed at the local Animal Birth Control (ABC) Centre, including five dogs caught on Saturday,” the official added.

The development comes after Kenyan sprint coach Dennis Mwanzo and Japanese assistant coach Mieko Okumatsu were bitten by stray dogs on Friday morning at the warm-up track of the stadium.

“The drive had already started a day before the championship began. We had cleared the stadium premises in advance. But there are 21 gates in the stadium, and the staff informed me that dogs escape through gaps under the gates. Also, some dog feeders still enter the stadium, and if food particles are available, dogs are likely to come inside the stadium,” the official added.

The official further said that the zonal doctor had been instructed to request for necessary number of dog-catching vans and staff.

On the steps taken, the MCD official said, “There is no shortage of manpower; the staff is sufficient. Seven stray dogs were removed on September 25 itself. Our team has been in touch with the organising committee since day one for assistance. Vehicles are stationed daily. On Saturday, we deployed five vehicles at 7 am to transfer the strays to shelter homes.”

The organising committee behind the championship has since banned dog feeders from entering the stadium following the incident, the MCD official added.

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Kenya team doctor Michael Okaro said, “Dennis was rushed to the Safdarjung Hospital and was given the rabies vaccine.” Okaro added that the dog bite cases were a “big sign of worry”.

On August 11, the Supreme Court had ordered the relocation of all stray dogs from the streets to dedicated shelters, citing the rise in dog bite cases in the Capital.

However, the apex court later modified the order and directed that the dogs be returned to the areas from which they were picked up, following sterilisation, deworming, and vaccination, in accordance with the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023.

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