The second World Humanoid Robot Games opened on August 22, 2026, at Beijing’s National Speed Skating Oval, also known as the Ice Ribbon, and will run for five days [1, 2, 3]. More than 2,000 humanoid robots representing 666 teams from 16 countries across six continents are competing in 51 events, including 30 sports competitions and 21 scenario-based tasks [4, 2, 5, 3].
Robots competed in a variety of sports including track running (100m and 400m), boxing, football, table tennis, tennis, kickboxing, weightlifting, gymnastics, martial arts such as tai chi, and dancesport [1, 4, 2, 5, 3]. Robots notably broke human speed records in sprinting: the humanoid robot named "Lightning" ran the 100m faster than Usain Bolt’s world record of 9.58 seconds in preliminary events held on opening day [1, 4, 5]. One robot completed the 400m run in 39.7 seconds, surpassing the human record of 43.03 seconds [4].
The Games hosted the world’s first human-robot tennis singles match, where a humanoid robot from Galbot faced Chinese tennis star Zheng Jie, demonstrating advanced ball tracking, shot prediction, and recovery from falls [2, 6]. Despite their speed and skill, robots still struggle with braking, balance, and precision tasks, often crashing into padded walls or dropping packages due to small physical imperfections [4, 2, 5].
Scenario-based events tested robots in real-world applications such as packaging, warehouse operations, hotel services, material handling, and emergency response, with over 40% of events requiring fully autonomous operation [4, 7, 3]. Yu Chao, CEO of Lumos Robotics, said, "Only when it can work in those end scenarios will it have longer-term value beyond flashy demos" [4].
Robotics investor Xu Qiaosheng noted the heightened technical demands this year: "The intensity is higher than last year, which places significant demands on the robot's battery management and thermal dissipation capabilities" [4].
The event is heavily promoted by Chinese state media and supported by tech companies including Huawei [4, 5]. On August 24, competitions continued with 400m obstacle races, football matches, freestyle fighting, gymnastics, and scenario-based tasks [3]. The Games will conclude on August 26 after 1,301 matches and contests have been completed [2, 3].
