Paris Olympics 2024: Meet India's elite K9 units providing security in France

The Paris Olympic 2024 in France will have 10 Indian K9 (canine) teams – central armed police force (CAPFs) and special commando force dogs – providing extra security. The special force of security dogs include five-year-old CRPF canine Vast and three-year-old Denby and they will be providing a counter-terrorist and anti-sabotage security cover to various venues of the Paris Olympics.

The 2024 Summer Olympic Games kick off on 26 July.

The duties of the Indian K9 teams include undertaking sniffing and patrolling duties at various venues that will host sporting events during the Olympics.

Paris Olympics Complete Coverage:  Click here for news, schedule, explainers and more

The 10 dogs and their handlers have been drawn from CAPFs like Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) force, National Security Guard (NSG) and the Assam Rifles.

More from Sports

Why Novak Djokovic’s tennis calendar is under scrutiny as experts fear he could be left behind Federer ‘Gukesh is an incredibly fighting player. I think it’s adorable’: Caruana’s rare praise for world champion amid horror form

Before departing for Paris, the Indian officers and the dogs were given a 10-week training and the squad consisted of Belgian Malinois breed dogs.

“They have been given a special 10-week training for this first-ever kind of collaboration of canine squads between the Indian and the French government,” a security officer told PTI.

“The dogs are from the sturdy Belgian Malinois breed which undertake infantry patrol and anti-sabotage sniffer tasks to detect bombs, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and trouble makers in various internal security theatres of the country like anti-Naxal operations and counter-terrorist operations,” he said.

Impact Shorts

More Shorts

WWE SummerSlam 2025 Night 2 results: Cody Rhodes beats John Cena in wild title match

Another officer added that the handlers have been given a refresher physical training and French language basics.

“They have been chosen for this task after stringent tests conducted at the CRPF dog breeding and training school located on Taralu near Bengaluru, Karnataka,” the second officer said.

“The Belgian Malinois breed is considered to be the most preferred combat dogs by security forces across the globe,” he said.

France has undertaken stringent security measures to conduct the Olympics safely and swifty. Around 10,500 athletes will be part of the Paris 2024 Games.

As per a report, 30,000 police officers will be deployed each day for the Olympics which will end on 11 August. The opening ceremony on the Seine River on 26 July will see a deployment of 45,000 police officers.