Sports have always been a testbed for human limits—strength, endurance, strategy, grace. In the 2020s, a new axis of competition emerged: code. Sensors, machine learning, telepresence, and simulation are rapidly transforming what we train, how we compete, and even who (or what) qualifies as an athlete. Drone pilots now race craft that pull double-digit g-forces through neon-lit gates. Humanoid robots sprint, hurdle, and play 5-a-side football in repurposed Olympic venues. And millions already “compete” inside photoreal virtual stadiums, where physics engines and network latency matter as much as muscle. This feature explores three converging frontiers: Drone racing evolving from niche spectacle to mainstream circuit with real-world utility. Humanoid Robot Games, inaugurated in Beijing in August 2025, which offered the clearest glimpse yet of mechatronic athletics—including who won and what it looked like. The Virtual Olympics: a credible, near-term format where digital twins, haptic suits, and AI officiating create global competitions that are fair, accessible, and astonishingly immersive. Together, they foreshadow a decade in which stadiums are half-lab, half-arena—and “personal best” is also a software build.