Dog bite scare at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi; Kenyan, Japanese coaches hurt during Para Athletics Worlds

The ongoing World Para Athletics Championships 2025 at the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium in Delhi was in headlines for wrong news as two foreign coaches were bitten by dogs at the practice arena on Friday.

The incident took place at around 9.30 am when Kenyan sprint coach Dennis Mwanzo and Japanese coach Meiko Matsumoto were bitten by dogs as Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) tried to catch the canines.

Mwanzo was training the 200m sprinter Stacey Obonyo in the practice area, next to the stadium, when he was attacked by a dog.

“The Kenyan coach and sprinters were training on the warm-up track. A black and white dog was being chased by the MCD to catch him and he bit the Kenyan coach,” a security guard at the practice ground said.

Immediately after the unfortunate incident Mwanzo was rushed to the nearby Safdarjung Hospital, where he received the rabies vaccine.

‘Such incidents are a big sign of worry’

A member of the Kenyan contingent, Michael Okaro expressed disbelief that such an incident could take place at a world-level event.

“Dennis was training our 200m sprinter Stacey Obonyo in the morning session and that is when a stray dog bit him in the right calf while fixing the starting blocks for Stacey,” Michael Okaro, a member of Kenyan contingent, told Firstpost.

“At a global event like World Championships, such incidents are a big sign of worry. We are worried about Michael at the moment,” he added.

Japanese coach Matsumoto was treated at Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium Athlete Medical Centre, and expressed satisfaction at response of the local organising committee.

“I was bitten by a dog in the morning but thankfully the medical team disinfected me quickly,” the Japanese coach said.

The MCD van and dog catchers were spotted in the evening at the stadium as they tried to catch the stray dogs and relocate them to shelter homes. The local organising committee has been actively working towards removing the dogs from the stadium premises from before the tournament. However, the biting incident is sure to bring more focus to the menace of stray dogs in Delhi.