In an embarrassing mishap during the ongoing World Para Athletics Championships, stray dogs bit two foreign coaches inside Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Friday, highlighting challenges in venue management. The incident involved Kenyan coach Dennis Maragia and Japanese coach Meiko Okumatsu, occurring separately near the competition arena and warm-up track.
The event, the first time India is hosting this global gathering of over 1,000 athletes with disabilities from September 27 to October 5, has otherwise proceeded smoothly, showcasing para-athletic excellence amid heightened security measures.
Maragia was speaking to an athlete near the call room around 10 a.m. when a stray dog suddenly attacked, biting his leg and causing bleeding, according to Joel Atuti, a Kenyan government representative accompanying the team. The stadium's medical team responded promptly, transporting him to Safdarjung Hospital for treatment, including injections and medications.
Okumatsu was supervising training at the adjacent warm-up track when she suffered a similar bite. Both coaches received on-site care before hospital visits and have since been discharged to their team hotels, with officials confirming they are out of danger and expected to recover fully without complications.
The Organising Committee issued a statement reaffirming its commitment to participant safety, noting that it had requested the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on August 21 to remove stray dogs from the premises. MCD teams cleared the area before the championships began and stationed vehicles for ongoing vigilance. However, the committee attributed the re-entry of animals to individuals feeding strays nearby, leading to these isolated incidents.
In response, MCD has deployed two dedicated dog-catching teams with vehicles inside the stadium for round-the-clock operations, relocating captured animals to shelters in compliance with welfare norms. The venue and surroundings have been sanitised, with enhanced preventive measures to prevent further disruptions.
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Amid the event's focus on fair competition, around 35 Dope Sample Officers from the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) are on site to collect samples from the approximately 1,500 athletes. As India hosts this prestigious biennial meet for the first time, the National Dope Testing Laboratory in Delhi—accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency—will handle testing, ensuring integrity.
While the dog incidents underscore urban wildlife management issues in a densely populated city like Delhi, organisers emphasise that athlete well-being remains paramount, with no impact on the championships' schedule or medal events continuing through October 5.
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