Two Australian doctors were given royal honors in Thailand on Friday for helping rescue a boys soccer team from a flooded cave and said they are looking forward to a reunion with the youngsters they helped save.
Richard Harris and Craig Challen were given the award at a ceremony presided over by Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. Four Australian officials involved with the rescue effort were also honored.
Both highly skilled divers, the doctors played key roles in rescuing members of the Wild Boars soccer team and their coach from the cave complex in Chiang Rai province last July.
In this photo released by Government Spokesman Office, Richard Harris, left, an Australian member of the Thai cave rescue team, listens to Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, right, during a meeting after receiving the Member of the Most Admirable Order of the Direkgunabhorn during the royal decoration ceremony at the Royal Thai Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, April 19, 2019. Two Australian doctors, Harris and Craig Challen, received royal honors for helping rescue the Wild Boars soccer team from a flooded cave (Government Spokesman Office via AP)
They said before the award ceremony they were looking forward to going to the northern province Monday to see how the boys are faring.
"That's really exciting for us to go and see them and make sure they're well and see how they're doing after the rescue," Harris said. "Hopefully we will find them in good shape."
A mixed team of Thais and expert divers from a number of countries combined in the dramatic search and rescue mission carried out after the team went missing when heavy rain flooded the Tham Luang cave complex.
In this photo released by Government Spokesman Office, Craig Challen, an Australian member of the Thai cave rescue team, receives the Member of the Most Admirable Order of the Direkgunabhorn in front of a portrait of Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun during the royal decoration ceremony at the Royal Thai Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, April 19, 2019. Two Australian doctors, Challen and Richard Harris received royal honors for helping rescue the Wild Boars soccer team from a flooded cave (Government Spokesman Office via AP)
The drama, which lasted 18 days, gripped the attention of the world.
Harris and Challen, who in January were jointly named Australians of the Year, said that should it ever happen again, they were ready to reprise their operation.
" We have a little bit more experience now," Challen said. "We seem to be the world record holders in cave-diving rescues now."
In this photo released by Government Spokesman Office, Richard Harris, an Australian member of the Thai cave rescue team, receives the Member of the Most Admirable Order of the Direkgunabhorn in front of a portrait of Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun during the royal decoration ceremony at the Royal Thai Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, April 19, 2019. Two Australian doctors, Harris and Craig Challen, received royal honors for helping rescue the Wild Boars soccer team from a flooded cave (Government Spokesman Office via AP)
They also joked about one of the British rescue team members, Josh Bratchley, who this week had to be rescued himself from a cave in the United States, and said they had left humorous messages on his Facebook page.
"Well, it's been a matter of some hilarity with us really. I'm glad it wasn't us because that would have been very professionally embarrassing for us, I can say," Challen said. "We are looking forward to speaking to Josh and getting the true story."
Their final message was one for all young people: Don't let what happened to the Wild Boars scare you off having fun.
"Those boys and the coach were extraordinarily unlucky to have been caught out in the cave," Harris said. "I hope that doesn't stop people enjoying adventures and kids really need to do those sorts of things."
DETROIT (AP) — The Oakland Athletics no longer have to wonder where they'll play the next few seasons. That won't make the long goodbye any easier.
The A's reacted to the announcement that this will be their last year in Oakland with a mixture of sadness and relief.
“At least as a player, you know where you’re headed,” outfielder Seth Brown said Friday before a game against the Tigers in Detroit. “There’s obviously a lot of moving parts, a lot of stuff we’re not privy to, so it’s just been kind of a waiting game on our end. Where are we going to go? Where are we going to be? So I think just having that knowledge -- at least we know where we’re going to be playing next year.”
Vivek Ranadivé, who owns the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, and Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher announced Thursday that the A’s will temporarily relocate to West Sacramento's Sutter Health Park for at least three seasons. The A's are moving to Las Vegas after a new ballpark is constructed.
The River Cats, who are affiliated with the San Francisco Giants, will continue to play at the same facility.
Fisher was unable to reach an agreement with Oakland city officials on extending the lease at Oakland Coliseum, which expires at the end of this season. The A's have played in the city since 1968.
“There's direction now, which we've talked a lot about,” Oakland A's manager Mark Kotsay said. “We've got time to kind of reflect on what this really means from an organizational standpoint, the history that we've had in Oakland, with this being now the final season. There's a lot of emotion that goes behind this.”
It will not only cause some upheaval for the players and staff but also members of the organization that work behind the scenes.
“At the end of the day, we know where we're going to be for the next three seasons after the finish this year and that in itself gives a little bit of stability,” Kotsay said. “At the same time, in the present, it's challenging in certain ways to think about the finality of this organization in Oakland.”
Sacramento will be a much smaller environment to house a major league team. Ranadivé said the River Cats venue currently seats 16,000 when counting the stands, the lawn behind center field and standing room only.
First baseman Ryan Noda is concerned with the facilities. He's hopeful that significant upgrades will be made, much like the Toronto Blue Jays did at Buffalo's Triple-A facility. The Blue Jays played at Buffalo's Sahlen Field in 2020 in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“New walls, new dugouts, new locker rooms — everything they needed to become a big league stadium,” said Noda, who played some games in Sacramento as a minor leaguer. “As long as we can do something like that, then it'll be all right. But it's definitely going to be different than playing in stadiums that hold 40,000 people.”
Kotsay is confident the upgrades will occur.
“I know it will be of major league baseball quality,” he said. “It's has to be of major league baseball quality. I know the Players Association will make sure that takes place, as they did in Buffalo.”
For the rest of this season, the A's will have to deal with small home crowds and disappointed fans.
“We’re sad for the fans, the diehard fans, who always come to our games, always support us, always support the boys wearing the jersey,” Noda said.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, center, shakes hands John Fisher, owner of the Oakland Athletics, before the start of a news conference where Fisher announced his team will leave Oakland after this season and play temporarily at a minor league park, during a news conference in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4 2024.The A's announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
John Fisher, owner of the Oakland Athletics baseball team, announces that his team will leave Oakland after this season and play temporarily at a minor league park, during a news conference in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2024. The A's announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Sutter Health Park, home of the Triple A team Sacramento River Cats, is shown in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2024. The Oakland Athletics announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Oakland Athletics manager Mark Kotsay walks to the dugout after making a pitching change during the eighth inning of the team's baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, March 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
