Which countries that the United States has increased rivalry in the sport and also politically?

Question

Which countries that the United States has increased rivalry in the sport and also politically?

Answer 1

I would say China is the big one.  China is growing in political power as well as in many sports.  

Many other rivals in sports are decreasing as rivals politically or close allies politically (for example Russia, which is a rival in sports has decreased in political rivalry since the Cold War ended).  Other rivals such as Australia or Great Britain are allies politically.