Lithgow's Robert Williams has been taking his love for Sanda martial arts to the Oceania region.
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Williams, Australia's Sanda high performance coach for Kung Fu Wushu Australia since 2009, was invited to travel around the South Pacific to help build the sport.
"You can see China is having a big influence in these areas, and the sport is growing," he said.
Williams trains fighters in Sanda, full contact Kung Fu, from the Kumiai-Ryu Martial Arts studio in Lithgow's Main Street.
He said it was a first time experience to take his expertise to other countries, including the Kung Fy Wushu Association of PNG.
"We had the [privilege] of having a session with Australian National Sanda Coach, Robert Williams... It was a historial moment in our timeline because Robert is the first international Sanda expert to come over and assist us with developing our knowledge and understanding of Sanda," the association posted on its Facebook page.
Over the last two years, Williams has been engaging with Pacific nations and he said the experience had been very rewarding.
"Kung Fu Wushu is huge around the world," he said.
"It was already quite popular - huge in China - and now it's getting more popular in new areas."
World championship events attract representatives from 121 countries, he said.
"That's on the scale of a World Cup in soccer, in terms of countries involved," Williams said.
He has also been invited to Samoa, Fiji and the Solomon Islands in recent years, as well as continuing development around Australia, with trips to Victoria and Western Australia.
Australia's next championship event will be held in Queensland in September.
Last appointed high performance coach in 2015, Williams said it was very tempting to put his hand up again, with indications that Wushu could be included in an upcoming Olympic Games.
It was proposed to be included in 2020, but failed to make the short list. It may be proposed against as an option for inclusion in 2024.
Williams thanked Kung Fu Wushu Australia and the Oceania Kung Fu Wushu Federation for offering him the opportunity to further Sanda across the region.
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