Carlsberg Malaysia says it was never a sponsor of Hyrox Kuala Lumpur, cites local laws and cultural sensitivities

Carlsberg Malaysia clarified it is not involved with Hyrox Kuala Lumpur 2026, addressing concerns related to marketing graphics that prompted threats of permit withdrawal by the Youth and Sports Ministry.

This clarification comes as Carlsberg's regional partnership explicitly excludes Malaysia, adhering to local laws and cultural sensitivities.

The ministry emphasized compliance with regulations prohibiting alcohol sponsorships in sports, warning organizers against proceeding without necessary approvals.

In response, Hyrox Malaysia apologized for the oversight and confirmed the exclusion of Carlsberg's branding in the Kuala Lumpur event, ensuring preparations remain on schedule.

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5 — Carlsberg Malaysia has clarified that it was never a sponsor of Hyrox Kuala Lumpur 2026 and holds no commercial involvement in the upcoming fitness competition, further defusing a controversy over marketing graphics that had drawn permit threats from the Youth and Sports Ministry.

In a statement posted to Instagram yesterday, the brewer explained that a newly unveiled regional partnership between Hyrox and Carlsberg in Asia applies exclusively to events staged in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Vietnam, leaving Malaysia deliberately omitted from the arrangement.

“At Carlsberg Malaysia, we adhere to the country’s local laws, regulations, and respect cultural sensitivities,” the company said, reiterating its standard responsible consumption disclaimer that its products are strictly intended for non-Muslims aged 21 and above alongside the hashtag #CelebrateResponsibly.

The multi-day indoor fitness race is slated to take place from Dec 10 to 13 at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) in Kuala Lumpur.

The clarification came ahead of an ultimatum issued by the Youth and Sports Ministry on Wednesday, which warned that it would withhold operating approvals for the event until organisers completely purged the brewer’s branding, logos, and promotional assets from both physical venues and digital promotional channels.

The ministry noted that the organiser’s licence application remained pending and that Putrajaya had disbursed neither state funding nor regulatory clearance for the race.

Authorities cited Article 5.2 of the Safe Sport Code (3rd Edition, 2024), which explicitly prohibits tobacco, vape, and alcohol enterprises from sponsoring, advertising, or showcasing corporate trademarks across sporting events sanctioned by the ministry and its statutory agencies. Youth and Sports Minister Mohammed Taufiq Johari maintained that the government would brook no compromise in ensuring a healthy and safe sporting environment.

The ministry also cautioned organisers that proceeding with an unsanctioned competition violates Section 36(1) of the Sports Development Act 1997, which bars any entity from running sports activities without a formal licence from the Commissioner of Sports Malaysia, an offence punishable by fines up to RM500,000, a maximum five-year jail term, or both.

Hyrox Malaysia subsequently issued an apology across its social media channels, acknowledging that circulating the regional sponsorship graphic had caused distress and offense among the public.

Admitting that the management should have been more mindful of the religious beliefs and cultural norms of Malaysians, the organiser stated: “We got this wrong,” confirming that the decision to exclude Carlsberg from the Kuala Lumpur stop was made in mutual agreement with the brewer while reassuring registered participants that preparations for the race remain on track.

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嘉士伯马来西亚公司澄清，该公司与吉隆坡 2026 年 Hyrox 马拉松无关，并回应了有关营销图形的担忧，这些担忧曾引发青年和体育部撤销许可证的威胁。

嘉士伯做出此项澄清之际，其区域合作伙伴关系明确将马来西亚排除在外，以遵守当地法律和文化敏感性。

该部强调必须遵守禁止体育赛事中使用酒精赞助的规定，并警告组织者未经必要批准不得擅自进行赞助活动。

对此，Hyrox Malaysia 就此疏忽表示歉意，并确认吉隆坡活动中将不会出现嘉士伯的品牌标识，以确保筹备工作按计划进行。

吉隆坡，11月5日讯——嘉士伯马来西亚公司澄清，该公司从未赞助过2026年吉隆坡Hyrox健身大赛，也未参与即将举行的这项健身比赛的任何商业活动，进一步平息了此前因营销图片引发的争议，该争议曾导致青年及体育部发出吊销许可证的威胁。

昨天，这家啤酒商在 Instagram 上发表声明解释说，Hyrox 和嘉士伯在亚洲新近宣布的区域合作伙伴关系仅适用于在新加坡、香港、台湾和越南举办的活动，马来西亚被特意排除在该安排之外。

“嘉士伯马来西亚公司遵守马来西亚当地的法律法规，尊重文化敏感性，”该公司表示，并重申了其标准的负责任消费免责声明，即其产品严格供 21 岁及以上的非穆斯林人士使用，同时还附上了 #CelebrateResponsibly 的标签。

这项为期多天的室内健身比赛定于 12 月 10 日至 13 日在吉隆坡的马来西亚国际贸易展览中心 (MITEC) 举行。

在青年和体育部周三发出最后通牒之前，相关方面做出了澄清。该部警告称，除非组织者从实体场馆和数字宣传渠道中彻底清除该啤酒商的品牌、标识和宣传素材，否则将扣留该活动的运营许可。

该部指出，主办方的许可证申请仍待审批，布城既没有拨付国家资金，也没有为该赛事颁发监管许可。

当局援引了《安全运动守则》（第三版，2024年）第5.2条，该条款明确禁止烟草、电子烟和酒精企业在体育部及其法定机构批准的体育赛事中赞助、宣传或展示其企业商标。青年和体育部长穆罕默德·陶菲克·乔哈里强调，政府在确保健康安全的体育环境方面绝不妥协。

该部还警告组织者，未经批准进行比赛违反了 1997 年体育发展法令第 36(1) 条，该条禁止任何实体在没有马来西亚体育专员的正式许可下开展体育活动，违者可处以最高 50 万令吉的罚款、最高五年监禁，或两者并罚。

Hyrox Malaysia随后在其社交媒体渠道上发布了道歉声明，承认传播区域赞助图片引起了公众的不安和冒犯。

主办方承认管理层应该更加注意马来西亚人的宗教信仰和文化习俗，并表示：“我们犯了错误”，同时确认将嘉士伯啤酒排除在吉隆坡站之外的决定是与啤酒商协商一致的结果，并向已注册的参赛者保证，比赛的筹备工作仍在按计划进行。

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