The twelve members of the Thai football team "Wild Boars" and their coach, who attended a press conference, gave shocking testimonies in their first public appearance, after being discharged from the hospital where they were treated for the last eight days.
The event was broadcast live on 45 international television networks and the images from the reception reserved for them by doctors, relatives and friends traveled around the world.
Children and a coach dressed in "Wild Boar" sports appearances and soccer balls in their hands appeared on the stage that had been set up and resembled a football field, while the boys sat down with five members of the rescue team.
"The strength or weakness of the children did not determine the order in which the 12 children came out of the cave," said their coach, who was also trapped with them for 17 days in a flooded cave in northern Thailand.
According to their coach, the children will be ordained Buddhist monks in memory of the former diver of the SEAL Select Unit of the Thai Navy who lost his life during the rescue operation
"I told everyone to fight, do not despair," said one of the boys. Another boy, 14-year-old Adul, recalled the moment two British divers found the group on July 2. "It was magical. "I had to think long before I could answer their questions," he said, adding: "It was the night we hit the rocks at the top of the cave and suddenly we heard voices."
"We did shifts digging the cave walls," said their coach. "We did not want to wait until the authorities found us," he said.
According to the children, they had all eaten them before being trapped in the caves, had not taken food with them on the excursion and drank only the water dripping from stalactites in the cave.
"We only drank water," said one of the boys, with the youngest member of the group, Titan, adding: "I had no strength at all. "I tried not to think about food so that I would not be hungry anymore."
According to the treating doctors, the children regained their weight while their blood tests were good. The director of the hospital said that the football team participated in "confidence-building exercises" on their last night at the hospital.
During their stay in the hospital, the moment was particularly moving when the children, with tears in their eyes, painted the face of the 38-year-old rescuer and member of the Special Forces of the country, who lost his life during the rescue.