The Appin Mines Rescue Team have made GM3 and Australia proud, delivering an impressive performance at the 2026 International Mines Rescue Competition (IMRC) in Zambia.
Now in its 14th year, this is the first time the IMRC has been hosted by the African continent, marking a significant milestone for the global mining community.
The event brought together 22 elite mine rescue teams from around the world, representing Australia, Zambia, Canada, China, India, Poland, Indonesia, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso. Appin Mine was one of three Australian teams, alongside Anglo American’s Moranbah North and Grosvenor’s Mines Rescue teams.
Teams faced off in a series of realistic, high-pressure emergency scenarios, testing their skills and capability in underground rescue, firefighting, rope rescue, breathing apparatus and first aid.
After four days of tough competition, India was named overall competition winner, with Zambia and Canada placing second and third respectively.
Appin Mine delivered a commendable performance across all challenges, demonstrating the professionalism, discipline and teamwork that define the team.
Team Captain Daniel Ward expressed his pride in the team’s performance:
“IMCR 2026 was a physically demanding competition that truly put every team to the test. I couldn’t be prouder of the Appin Pit Bulls — their commitment in training, their effort throughout, and the professionalism they showed at every stage.”
“They represented GM3, NSW and Appin Mines Rescue to the highest standard. While we didn’t achieve the results we were aiming for, we’ll take the lessons from this experience and come back stronger as a team.”
General Manager Appin Mine, Andy Hyslop also acknowledged the team’s achievement:
“Earning a place on the international stage is a significant achievement in itself. We are incredibly proud of the team’s performance and the passion and integrity they displayed throughout the competition.”
“Our Appin Mines Rescue team plays a critical role in protecting our people and supporting safe operations every day — and their learnings will directly strengthen emergency response capability at Appin Mine.”
Training through competition has always been an integral part the international mine rescue community, providing a platform to refine skills, share knowledge and learn from global peers. We’ll take this experience and its many learnings forward as we continue strengthening our emergency response capability across our GM³ operations.
Our GM³ Mines Rescue teams play a critical role in protecting our people and supporting safe operations every day. We’re fortunate to have some of the industry’s very best safeguarding our sites.
