31st May 2025 (Sudbury, Canada) – The Zambian delegation of mining professionals currently in Canada for a hands-on training programme in preparation for hosting the 2026 International Mine Rescue Competition (IMRC) has successfully completed a series of intensive workshops in Sudbury.
The delegation will now proceed to Timmins, where they will be involved in the practical setting up of scenarios for the Ontario Provincial Mine Rescue Competitions as part of their learning experience.
Zambia is set to make history by becoming the first African country to host the IMRC in the competition’s over 100-year history. The prestigious event, scheduled for April 2026, will take place at two venues: the Mopani Central Training Centre (MCTC) in Mufulira, Copperbelt Province, and FQM Kansanshi Copper Mine in Solwezi, North-Western Province.
The recently concluded workshops in Sudbury were facilitated by Ontario Mine Rescue’s Chief Mine Rescue Officer, Mr. Shawn Rideout. “Most of you are already involved in the emergency response system and are very familiar with the emergency response side of things. So our interaction will mainly focus on the actual planning process – everything that goes into hosting essentially 26 or 28 mine rescue teams from around the world,” Mr. Rideout told the delegates.
The hands-on training focused on key elements crucial to hosting a successful international competition, including event planning, logistics coordination, technical setup of competitive scenarios, site preparation, stakeholder engagement, sponsorship acquisition, and communication with international teams.
“Since Canada last hosted the IMRC in 2016 and has been a longstanding member of the International Mines Rescue Body (IMRB), it’s about the best place for us to benchmark our preparations,” noted the Zambia Chamber of Mines Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Talent Ng’andwe, who is leading the Zambian delegation in Ontario.
“The experience here has been invaluable. Learning from seasoned experts like Mr. Rideout equips us with the knowledge and confidence we need to deliver a world-class IMRC in 2026.”
The IMRC is expected to draw participation from over 22 national mine rescue teams from across the world, bringing together more than 500 foreign nationals to Zambia.
Speaking on the anticipated influx of international visitors, Dr. Christopher Chileshe, Training and Development Manager at Mopani Copper Mines PLC – who also heads MCTC, where the majority of the competition scenarios will be held, said:
“We are expecting in excess of 500 foreign nationals to visit our country, and this gives us an opportunity to market our country to the outside world. In collaboration with the government, we shall line up various tourism packages for the visitors who would like to take up various tourism excursions within Zambia and to neighbouring countries.”
The right to host the 2026 edition of the IMRC was officially awarded to the Zambia Chamber of Mines by the International Mines Rescue Body (IMRB) in September 2024, at the conclusion of the previous competition held in Paipa, Colombia.
As preparations continue, Zambia’s commitment to safety, excellence, and international collaboration stands at the forefront of this monumental undertaking – one that will not only enhance global mine rescue standards but also showcase Zambia as a destination of technical expertise, cultural richness, and tourism potential.
ENDS//.
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