Dombrova has a good memory. “I remember times when the rosters of the Latvian national teams were filled with players who came to Latvia during the years of occupation, were not Latvians, and could not even say a few words in Latvian in interviews,” shared the Minister of the Interior. Now everything is different. “All the Latvian guys representing the Latvian U-16 basketball team and winning gold medals speak Latvian. And I am absolutely not concerned about the fact that some of the talented young basketball players are only half Latvian. If he has Latvian blood, feels a sense of belonging to the nation, and wholeheartedly cheers for Latvia — then he is one of us!” wrote Janis Dombrova on social media. The athlete who impressed the minister is Benjamin Janis Beroue, who was named the most valuable player of the recently concluded U-16 European Championship. The Latvian team, let us remind you, took first place. As [reported](https://bb.lv/statja/sport/2026/08/15/molodye-basketbolisty-latvii-vyigrali-cempionat-evropy) **bb.lv**, the leader of the Latvian team was Benjamin Janis Beroue. His mother is from Latvia and played for TTT. His father is from Haiti and was interested in American football. The family lives in Texas, and Benjamin Janis Beroue holds citizenship in both Latvia and the USA.
