Wakeboarding world champ gives tips to Hong Kong squad

James Boggia left Hong Kong 10 years ago to study in Australia. He returned this week to his roots as a world champion in wakeboarding, and to give a helping hand to the Hong Kong squad preparing for next month's IWWF World Cable Wakeboard Championships in the Philippines.

"It was done mainly as a 'thank you' to Joe Hung, the Hong Kong coach who taught me the sport when I was young," Boggia said.

"I wanted to give something back to Hong Kong and what better way than to give some tips to the national squad preparing for their first major international competition."

Boggia, 20, won the World Wakeboard Association World Championship in 2010, the same year he was voted as the best pro-rider in Australia. Adept at the tricks of his trade, his services were much sought after by the local athletes on Friday.

"Our riders don't have much experience in cable wakeboarding. We mostly train behind a boat and having someone of the calibre of James here is great. I hope he will keep coming back to Hong Kong for the sport is still very much in its development stages," said Joe Hung Chou-io, a longstanding coach and driving force in the local wakeboarding scene.

Hung will take a three-strong squad - Gilbert Cheng Ka-hing, Don Kong Wai-lun and Julian Shamdas - to the Philippines for the biennial championships held under the banner of the International Waterski and Wakeboard Federation. Boggia will also be a competitor, turning out for Australia as the world's top riders from more than 30 countries come together in Angeles City, 80 kilometres north of Manila.

But all eyes will be on a two-strong International Olympic Committee delegation that will be there to assess the sport's credentials as a medal sport at the 2020 Games.