DOI Remi Anri

General
RETURN TO JAPAN
In 2019 he returned to Japan after living and playing handball in France since 2012. He returned to Japan with a view to preparing for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, and was appointed captain of the Japanese national team in June 2019. "To be honest, the level of handball in Japan is much lower than in France. However, I love handball and there is an Olympics in Tokyo. I decided to come back to Japan in 2019 in order to devote myself to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The head coach told me to change the team's atmosphere through my experiences and positive characteristics. I also thought that I would be able to help to improve the team's professional mentality based on my career in France." (nikkan-spa.jp, 26 Aug 2020; nikkei.com, 06 Mar 2020)

BREAK AND RETURN
He decided to take a break from the sport in 2012 after graduating from Nippon Sport Science University in Tokyo, Japan, due to a left knee injury. He then relocated to France to study the language and began playing handball recreationally. In 2013 he returned to the sport competitively when he joined Chambery Savoie Mont-Blanc Handball in the French Division 1. (yahoo.co.jp, 14 Jan 2020; sports.smt.docomo.ne.jp, 18 Oct 2019; handball-japan.com, 05 Jul 2017)

HERITAGE
He was born in Paris, France, to a French father and a Japanese mother, and moved to Tako, Japan, at age three. He was called up to the Japanese national team in 2015. "I can honestly say that I am just as Japanese as anyone else in Japan, so it was an honour to represent the country." (keyholder.co.jp, 05 Jul 2017; yahoo.co.jp, 14 Jan 2020; weekly-economist.mainichi.jp, 27 Aug 2019)