BEIJING, Aug 22 (Reuters) - It’s been called the Robot Olympics. But unlike the human Olympics, Team China is collecting almost all the medals. Over the past decade, robotic competitions in China have provided a window into the advances of a now-surging sector – and the importance of its success as a strategic industry singled out by President Xi Jinping.

Shares in Chinese robotics pioneer Unitree soared more than 600 percent on its debut in Shanghai on August 19, after raising more than $900 million in its initial public offering.

Notably, in a test run, a humanoid robot named "Lightning" ran the 100-meter sprint faster than Usain Bolt did in his world-record dash in the 2009 Olympics, according to Chinese state media reports.