Students make final preparations for 2015 International Mining Games

Undergraduates from the Camborne School of Mines (CSM), are set to compete in the 37^th International Mining Games 2015, which take place from March 25-29.

Three teams from CSM - the only representatives from the UK taking part - will be competing in the illustrious contest, which will be hosted by the Western Australia School of Mines, in Kalgoorie.

They will compete against mining students from across the world, from as far afield as Australia, Brazil and Canada, in a series of events including surveying, gold panning, timber sawing and ‘mucking’, which involves running an ore cart down a track and filling it with materials.

The teams, which have received support from the Camborne School of Mines Trust, will be hoping that their strict training regime in recent weeks will help them match the success of their predecessors over the past few years, who secured gold in the surveying and mucking events.

Competitor Rhys Hill, from the Camborne School of Mines, located on the University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus in Cornwall, said: “We have been training really hard, and hope that we will do well at the competition.  CSM has a tradition of doing well in recent years, and we are hoping that we can carry that on and bring home gold medals from the event.

“It’s an incredible competition, there are a lot of physical tasks and it can be quite demanding, but it also brings in so many of the traditional techniques that are associated with mining. We are all looking forward to competing against such an international field.”

Professor Ken Evans, Dean of the College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, offered a message of support to the competitors. He said: “The teams have worked incredibly hard to ensure they have the best possible chance of success. This is a truly international competition and they will be facing the very best of their peers from across the globe.

“Our students have enjoyed considerable success in the competition in recent years, bringing home a number of gold medals, and I am confident that this rich vein of form will continue this year. However, whatever the outcome, they are a credit to everyone associated with Camborne School of Mines and we all wish them the very best of luck.”