Two foreign coaches bitten by stray dogs at World Para Athletics Championships in Delhi; Kenya team doctor says ‘big worry’

“The incident occurred around 9:30 am in the morning and Dennis was rushed to the Safdarjung Hospital and was given the rabies vaccine. At a global event like the World Championships, such incidents are a big sign of worry. We are worried about Dennis at the moment,” Okaro said.

Mwanzo was fixing the starting blocks when training 200-metre sprinter Stacey Obonyo in the morning session when a stray dog bit him on the right calf, according to Okaro.

There were 25,210 dog bite cases reported in Delhi IN 2024, up from 17847 the previous year, as per a Press Information Bureau release earlier this year. Nearly 3,200 dog bite cases were reported in Delhi in January this year. The stray dog population in Delhi is estimated to be 8 lakhs.

In a statement, the Organising Committee of the IndianOil World Para Athletics Championships 2025, blamed ‘individuals repeatedly feeding stray dogs near the venue’ for the two bite incidents.

Okumatsu, the assistant coach of Japan’s intellectually impaired team, was also bitten in the morning during a training session. “I was bitten by a dog in the morning but thankfully the medical team disinfected me quickly,” Okumatsu said.

Taking notice of the dog bite cases in the capital, the Supreme Court of India on August 11 had ordered the relocation of all stray dogs from the streets to dedicated shelters, underlining that the canines should not be returned to the streets. Less than a fortnight later, following protests from dog lovers, the SC termed it previous order as ‘too harsh’ and directed that these dogs should be returned to the area from where they were picked up after sterilisation, deworming and vaccination, in accordance with the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023.

Pulsesport.co.ke quoted Mwanzo as saying; “At first, I thought someone was holding me, but when I turned, I saw it was a black-and-white dog. I struck it to free myself. I’ve since been treated at the hospital, as we don’t know if the dog had been vaccinated.”

India, which is bidding for the 2030 Commonwealth Games and the 2036 Olympics, is hosting the World Para Athletics Championships for the first time. Over 1,200 athletes from 104 countries are participating in the global event which runs from September 26 to October 5. .

The Organising Committee of the championships said that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi had ‘cleared the premises’ of stray dogs.

“On 21 August 2025, a formal request was made to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to safeguard the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium by removing stray dogs from the venue. Acting swiftly, the MCD cleared the premises well before the start of the Championships, and dog-catching vehicles have been stationed at the stadium from Day 1 to ensure constant vigilance and immediate response. Despite these precautionary measures, the challenge of individuals repeatedly feeding stray dogs near the venue has allowed animals to re-enter the premises. Unfortunately, this led to two isolated incidents at the warm-up track on 3 October 2025 with Coaches of Japan & Kenya getting bit,” the statement said.

“Coach Miss Meiko Okumatsu (NPC Japan) & Coach Mr. Dennis (NPC, Kenya) sustained bites while supervising training. Both were immediately attended to by the medical team, provided emergency care at the Athlete Medical Room, with on-spot medical attention. They were then taken to Safdarjung Hospital’s Anti-Rabies Clinic where they received appropriate vaccination and treatment, post which they were taken to their respective Hotels,” the statement added.

Following Friday’s incidents, the MCD reinforced its deployment with two dedicated dog-catching teams permanently stationed inside the stadium premises. Vehicles for rapid removal and transfer of strays to shelter homes are also on standby.

In the evening session, a stray dog was chased away by security guards from the mixed zone — where athletes speak to the media immediately after the competition.