BYD, adidas on board as new sponsors of Singapore’s national marathon in December

[SINGAPORE] Electric vehicle giant BYD is the new title sponsor of Singapore’s national marathon that will take place in December, with sportswear manufacturer adidas as the annual event’s first presenting sponsor.

Standard Chartered, which was the title sponsor of Singapore’s largest running event since 2001, has inked a new deal to be the official bank.

All three companies also have exclusive naming rights to specific races – namely, the BYD Marathon, the adidas Half-Marathon and the Standard Chartered 10 km.

The event owner Sport Singapore, the Singapore Tourism Board and the Singapore Athletic Association were announced as key partners.

The new name of the marathon was unveiled at a press conference at the National Stadium on Tuesday (Mar 17), with the event now known as the BYD Singapore International Marathon presented by adidas.

Registration for the Dec 4 to 6 event will begin in April, with details such as the fees and race routes to be announced at a later date.

The new organisers – SG International Marathon – said they will cap participation at 52,000 entries in order to “create an enjoyable runner experience” for all. The 2025 edition last December saw more than 55,000 people taking part.

This year’s three-day programme will begin with the kids’ categories on the morning of Dec 4, followed by the 5 km and 10 km races in the evening. The half-marathon flags off on the morning of Dec 5, with the marathon rounding off the festivities in the early hours of Dec 6.

The BYD Marathon is currently South-east Asia’s only World Athletics Gold Label Road Race, with all the other categories certified by the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races.

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China-based BYD was recently named as the No 1 car brand in Singapore, and the company said that a fleet of its cars will be featured across key touch points of the event throughout the race weekend.

James Ng, managing director of BYD Singapore and president of BYD Philippines, described the Singapore International marathon as a “prestigious event” that the company was proud to “power its next era”.

“Running a marathon requires dedication, resilience and a commitment to improving over time. These are principles we value, and are key to BYD’s progress in the new energy vehicles segment,” he said.

As for adidas, the German sportswear brand will deepen its involvement with the race with an expanded range of Singapore-exclusive merchandise, as well as provide the official race T-shirt that will be included in the race packs for participants.

Being the first presenting sponsor is a “natural next step” in the company’s longstanding commitment to supporting the running community, said adidas Singapore country manager Chen Rui Yuan.

Patrick Lee, StanChart’s chief executive officer for Singapore, Asean and South Asia, said the bank’s lengthy association with the marathon helped to grow the race to become Singapore’s “premier mass sporting event”.

StanChart’s list of global sports partnerships include being the main club partner of English Premier League team Liverpool, with the current deal running until the end of the 2026/2027 season.

In January this year, the bank announced a multi-year partnership with Formula 1 to be the official wealth management partner, and corporate and investment banking partner.

Event director Shalindran Sathiyanesan, who was formerly general manager of Singapore Athletics, said the goal was to deliver a “meaningful and rewarding event” for participants, while continuing to uphold the status as Singapore’s only national marathon.

“Beyond that, we are focused on building a total brand experience. This will incorporate local SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), running communities and collaborations with international brands,” he said.

“At the same time, we aim to showcase Singapore’s unique local culture while delivering a globally recognised world-class event.”