Why Do Nations Compete?

The important thing in life is not to triumph but to compete. -Charles Pierre de Fredy, Baron de Coubertin International competition seems to be a relatively new endeavor. The idea that one nation would assert it's dominance over another through sport seems as natural as breathing. In fact, when one looks at the timeline of human existence competition on behalf of a country happened just as soon as it possibly could. All the ingredients were there: defined borders became more of a reality just as advancements in transportation shrunk the globe exponentially. The first modern era Olympics were design to be an international affair, even though the ancient namesake was not. So why do nation's seem compelled to compete?