Humanoid robots compete in a 100m race during the opening ceremony of the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 14, 2025. (Xinhua/Xie Han)

The 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games kicked off on Thursday in Beijing, showcasing the cutting-edge achievements of humanoid robots in intelligent decision-making and collaborative movement.

The Games will see 280 teams from 16 countries, including the United States, Germany and Italy, compete from Friday to Sunday at the National Speed Skating Oval. Competitors will take part in 26 events, spanning athletic challenges such as running, long jump, free exercises and football, as well as skills-based tasks like moving materials, sorting drugs and cleaning across different scenarios.

According to Li Yechuan of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, the event draws on the formats of human competitive sports to put the latest advancements and application capabilities of humanoid robots through an “extreme test.”

“We hope to truly advance humanoid robots from the laboratory into real-world applications in factories, hospitals, homes and other scenarios. This is a crucial step toward achieving large-scale production,” said Li Zhiqi from the Beijing municipal government’s counsellors’ office.

The sports event follows the 2025 World Robot Conference, which opened on Aug. 8 under the theme of “Making Robots Smarter, Making Embodied Agents More Intelligent.”

Source:?Xinhua News Agency