The World Humanoid Robot Games, an international sporting competition for humanoid robots, opened in the Chinese capital Beijing on Thursday.
According to NHK, the opening ceremony featured works developed by companies and students from 16 countries, including the United States, Germany, and Japan.
A robot developed by a Beijing firm spoke on behalf of the competition participants and declared that they would compete for the future, imitating the wisdom and will of humanity and applying the power of science and technology.
It is noted that in total, more than 500 robots from 280 teams will take part in 26 competitions in various disciplines - from athletics to dance and martial arts. According to the publication, the Chinese government aims to bring the country's humanoid robotics to the world level by 2027.
As France 24 reports, at the opening ceremony of the first World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, humanoid robots danced hip-hop, performed martial arts, and played keyboards, guitar, and drums.
"Humanoid robots will compete in sports such as football, running and boxing. The event comes as China steps up efforts to develop humanoid robots based on artificial intelligence," a France24 correspondent in Beijing reported.
As we wrote earlier, in May, the first-ever robot boxing tournament was held in China, organized by China Media Group — Mecha Fighting Series. The debut fight between humanoid robots took place on May 25, 2025 in Hangzhou. The robots created by Unitree Robotics took part in the fight. They are equipped with a wide range of combat capabilities, and the tournament itself consisted of exhibition and competitive matches. In the fights, the humanoid robots, controlled by teams of four people, demonstrated a variety of techniques and fighting in the arena.