What would be an example (or perhaps two besides Greece and Rome) of societies that emphasized athletics?

Answer 1

One example of a society that emphasized athletics was the Ancient Sumer (Sumerian). There have been many different stone slabs found that have depictions of wrestlers. It is also believed that boxing originated in Sumerian civilization.

Another example is Ancient Egypt. There are monuments that indicate a number of sports were popular including swimming, archery, and wrestling. There were also various ball games in the Egyptian civilization.