Colin Hanes of Comox is part of Canada鈥檚 open masters team (34+) that will be competing at the World Championships of Beach Ultimate in Royan, France.

He and 14 teammates from across the country are looking to improve upon Canada鈥檚 second-place result from two years ago in Dubai, UAE, where the national masters team lost in the gold medal game to the U.S.

鈥淲e have a pretty talented roster with a ton of international experience,鈥� said Hanes, a ReMax Realtor who volunteers with Comox Fire Rescue.

Besides the U.S., he expects other contenders will include the Philippines, Great Britain, and a number of European countries.

Ultimate games do not involve referees, even at a competitive level. Instead, players deal with rule violations and disputes in a respectful manner, known as the Spirit of the Game.

鈥淭he self-officiating is a unique aspect of the game,鈥� Hanes said. 鈥淲e all play extremely hard and want to win, but it does force a certain amount of sportsmanship and honesty. You have to respect that your opponent will respect the game as much as you do.鈥�

For the past 20 years, Hanes has played ultimate 鈥� on grass 鈥� for teams in Toronto, Vancouver and the Comox Valley. To prepare for the June 18-24 tournament, he has been running laps in the sand at Air Force Beach.

This will be his first experience with a national team, but won鈥檛 be his first overseas experience playing ultimate. Six years ago, his club team competed at a tourney in Prague in the Czech Republic.

A total of 120 teams and 1,800 athletes are expected to compete in seven divisions in France.

Games will be streamed live at http://live.wcbu2017.org