A Sea of Appreciation: Crowd Erupts in Standing Ovation for Bondi Hero Ahmed Al-Ahmed at Ashes Test
The sold-out crowd at the SCG witnessed an emotional moment on Sunday as Syrian-born father of two Ahmed al-Ahmed, his arm in sling and hand on his heart, walked onto the pitch just before play began of the final Test of the Ashes series. The 15-year-old was joined by Chaya Dadon, a 14-year-old girl who suffered a gunshot wound to her leg while shielding two young children from gunfire during the Bondi terror attack.
The pair took part in tributes to the victims and those who risked their lives attending them, with Australian and English cricket fans standing on their feet before them. The names of the attack's 15 victims were emblazoned on the stadium screens under the words "forever in our hearts," as a group of first responders led the procession onto the pitch.
Among the responders were intensive care paramedics, doctors from the Royal Prince Alfred and St Vincent's hospitals, lifesavers, and local police. They had all assisted while off-duty to help those affected by the attack. Australian players Alex Carey and Cameron Green applauded al-Ahmed and Dadon as they walked by, acknowledging their bravery and selflessness.
The crowd's emotion was palpable, with the atmosphere at the SCG becoming electric in recognition of the duo's heroism. The ground announcer thanked everyone for sharing gratitude for the incredible service provided by al-Ahmed, Dadon, and many others, saying "Thank you everybody, thank you for sharing our gratitude for the incredible service that these individuals and many others provided."
Al-Ahmed, Dadon, and the first responders were greeted by New South Wales sports minister Steve Kamper and Cricket Australia's boss Todd Greenberg after both anthems. The tribute was a fitting acknowledgment of their bravery and selflessness in the face of tragedy.
The list of first responders who attended the SCG tribute included Brett Simpson, Andrew Bibby, Cole Shanahan, Paul Drinias, Dr Matthew Oliver, Dr Rachael Wilkes, Leah Trend, Scott Gibbons, Daniel McLaughlin, Jackson Doolan, Naomi Or, Vladimir Kotlyar, Chaya Dadon, and Ahmed al-Ahmed.
The sold-out crowd at the SCG witnessed an emotional moment on Sunday as Syrian-born father of two Ahmed al-Ahmed, his arm in sling and hand on his heart, walked onto the pitch just before play began of the final Test of the Ashes series. The 15-year-old was joined by Chaya Dadon, a 14-year-old girl who suffered a gunshot wound to her leg while shielding two young children from gunfire during the Bondi terror attack.
The pair took part in tributes to the victims and those who risked their lives attending them, with Australian and English cricket fans standing on their feet before them. The names of the attack's 15 victims were emblazoned on the stadium screens under the words "forever in our hearts," as a group of first responders led the procession onto the pitch.
Among the responders were intensive care paramedics, doctors from the Royal Prince Alfred and St Vincent's hospitals, lifesavers, and local police. They had all assisted while off-duty to help those affected by the attack. Australian players Alex Carey and Cameron Green applauded al-Ahmed and Dadon as they walked by, acknowledging their bravery and selflessness.
The crowd's emotion was palpable, with the atmosphere at the SCG becoming electric in recognition of the duo's heroism. The ground announcer thanked everyone for sharing gratitude for the incredible service provided by al-Ahmed, Dadon, and many others, saying "Thank you everybody, thank you for sharing our gratitude for the incredible service that these individuals and many others provided."
Al-Ahmed, Dadon, and the first responders were greeted by New South Wales sports minister Steve Kamper and Cricket Australia's boss Todd Greenberg after both anthems. The tribute was a fitting acknowledgment of their bravery and selflessness in the face of tragedy.
The list of first responders who attended the SCG tribute included Brett Simpson, Andrew Bibby, Cole Shanahan, Paul Drinias, Dr Matthew Oliver, Dr Rachael Wilkes, Leah Trend, Scott Gibbons, Daniel McLaughlin, Jackson Doolan, Naomi Or, Vladimir Kotlyar, Chaya Dadon, and Ahmed al-Ahmed.
so this is what it takes to get the crowd going at a cricket match now - a bunch of kids who got shot in a terrorist attack 
. I mean, don't get me wrong, kudos to Chaya and Ahmed for being heroes, but can we just give them a break and let them process their trauma instead of parading them around like they're on some sort of gratitude parade 
? And what's with the "forever in our hearts" shtick - is that really the best way to honor the victims or are we just looking for a feel-good moment to distract us from the fact that this could happen again? 
the scene at the SCG must've been so intense 
with all those first responders showing up to pay their respects to the victims of that terror attack... it's just heartbreaking 
to think about what those kids went through 
and still managed to risk her life to save others 
Ahmed al-Ahmed is literally a hero too for putting his own needs aside 
just witnessed the most amazing thing at the Ashes test at SCG! 
so emotional seeing 15yr old Ahmed AlAhmed walk onto the pitch with his arm in sling, hand on heart, surrounded by all these heroes 
. crowd just ERUPTED into standing ovation for them 
. SCG announcer's words just made me tear up 
... thank you everyone for sharing gratitude for these unsung heroes 
The way the crowd just erupted in standing ovation for those heroes is just wow... I mean, I'm not surprised though, Aussies are known for their generosity of spirit 
. It's amazing to see how the cricket community came together to show appreciation for these brave individuals who risked everything to help others during that horrific attack 
And I love how Cricket Australia and NSW sports minister Steve Kamper were there to acknowledge their bravery 
, can we get a standing ovation every time a first responder shows up?