Pro-Brussels fanatics have claimed that the bloc is the world’s greatest sporting power and had the Tokyo games in the bag. But an in-depth look at the medal table can reveal that Britain, the United States and China are still much stronger contenders. Influential EU figures, such as Belgian MEP Guy Verhofstadt and French Europe minister Clement Beaune, have attempted to push a cumulative tally for the bloc’s athletes.

       Mr Verhofstadt, an arch-federalist, boasted that this meant they actually beat Team GB, the US and China.

       However, an Express.co.uk analysis of the medal table found that a Brussels team would still find itself in fourth place behind those competitors.

       EU nations fielded around 3,544 athletes at the Games in Tokyo, winning 286 medals between them.

       This means the bloc would have an athlete-medal ratio of 0.08.

       The tally was therefore beaten by the US, China and Britain.

       In top place, the United States won 113 separate medals between 626 athletes – at a rate of 0.18.

       This ratio was matched by China, whose team netted 88 medals between their 431 competitors.

       The Great Britain and Northern Ireland squad had 392 athletes and brought home a healthy 65 medals, at 0.16.

       And hosts Japan finished in fourth place with a rate of 0.09 between their 614-strong team, which netted 58 medals.

       Deluded Euro fanatics have called for its athletes to wear the bloc’s flag when competing at the games in Tokyo.

       Ahead of the finish of the games, Mr Verhofstadt last week was quick out of the blocks to claim victory for the EU.

       He said: “I’d love to see the EU flag next to the national on athletes’ clothes.

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       “Our identity is layered – we’re proud Italians, Latvians, Germans, Slovenians... and Europeans. Our sports should reflect that!”

       And Polish MEP Radek Sikorski posted an unofficial medal count on social media showing the EU in the lead, saying: “EU rules OK.”

       Eurocrats have a long history of hailing European sporting successes as a victory for the Brussels project.

       They often publish their own alternative medal tables to claim victory in both the summer and winter olympics.

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       Recently Commission President Ursula von der Leyen even celebrated Italy’s European Championship victory over England as a triumph over Brexit.

       Former Brexit Party MEP Ben Habib said: “The EU is not a country – not yet anyway. If it were, the Olympics would be the poorer for it, with a much smaller field of competitors.”

       Last week an EU spokesman congratulated the bloc's athletes "for their brilliant results" in Tokyo.

       But they conceded Brussels has no power over "the organisation of sport and competitions" which rests with individual countries.

       Romanian MEP Cristian Terhes said: “One of the joys of the Olympics is watching the pride of athletes representing their country to the best of their ability.

       “It is absurd that eurocrats want to take that away from Europeans.

       “We know for certain that the EU won't win any medals for democracy.”