New Delhi — Two foreign coaches were bitten by stray dogs during morning warm-up sessions on October 3 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the venue of the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships.
Kenyan sprint coach Dennis Maragia (or Mwanzo in some reports) and Japanese assistant coach Meiko Okumatsu received the dog bites while overseeing training near the warm-up track.
Incident Details and Medical Response
The bite on the Kenyan coach occurred when he was fixing starting blocks for a 200 m sprinter and was struck on his right calf. The Japanese coach was bitten during another morning session at the warm-up track.
Both coaches were immediately treated on-site in the athlete medical room. They were then transported to Safdarjung Hospital, where they received anti-rabies vaccination and further treatment according to hospital anti-rabies clinic protocols. Organisers confirmed that after care at hospital they were taken to their respective hotels.
Kenya’s team doctor, Michael Okaro, described the incidents as a cause for concern, especially at an international event. He said the first incident occurred around 9:30 am. Meanwhile, a Kenyan team official, Joel Atuti, stated the incident happened around 10:00 am, when the coach was speaking to an athlete near the “call room.”
Organisers’ Statement and Precautionary Measures
The Organising Committee of the championships said that they had on August 21 formally requested the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to remove stray dogs from the stadium premises. They added that the MCD had cleared the area ahead of the event and deployed dog-catching vehicles stationed from the first day of the championships to maintain vigilance.
In their statement, the organisers noted that the repeated feeding of stray dogs near the venue allowed them to re-enter the premises. They said that after these incidents they strengthened measures: two permanent dog-catching teams were assigned inside the stadium, and vehicles for rapid removal and transfer to shelter homes were kept on standby.
Officials also confirmed that during the evening session, a stray dog was chased from the “mixed zone” area — where athletes interact with media after their events.
Context and Legal Framework
Delhi has been reporting rising numbers of dog bite cases in recent years. In 2024, authorities reported over 25,000 cases, up from about 17,800 in the previous year, per a Press Information Bureau release. Estimates place Delhi’s stray dog population at around 800,000.
In August 2025, the Supreme Court of India had issued orders on handling the stray dog population in Delhi: first ordering relocation of strays to shelters, then modifying the order to require sterilisation, deworming, vaccination, and return of animals to their original areas—except those with rabies or aggressive behaviour.
Championship Context
The 2025 World Para Athletics Championships is being hosted in New Delhi for the first time in India and in South Asia. The event runs from September 27 to October 5 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Over 1,200 athletes from 104 countries are participating.
Public Safety and Health Implications
Dog bites pose a risk of rabies and local tissue infection if not managed promptly. In mass-gathering events, stray animals create an unpredictable hazard for athletes, coaches, officials, and spectators. Ensuring control of stray animals in and around sports venues requires coordination between organising bodies, municipal agencies, and public compliance with anti-feeding rules.
The incident has triggered scrutiny of safety protocols at international sporting venues in India, especially given the public health stakes involved in animal-bite exposure.
(Rh/Eth/MSM)