a strong EU, allied with a strong US, are our only chance for our common western values to remain significant

I agree. The EU and the U.S. are likely always going to be close to each other athletically because of their similarities.

State sponsored programs can produce overwhelming athletic teams because of their modus operandi; careful search for the best potential athletes at an early age, removing athletes from their homes to train them, careful training and nurturing and grooming,
best use of performance enhancers, etc.