Corona
Relaxation Clause
A birth of new type of Athletes Contracts.
Surfing has always been more than just a sport; it’s a lifestyle and a pursuit of a mental state connected to health and nature
Sport has always been more than just competition; it’s a way of life — a pursuit of physical and mental balance, and often, a deeper connection with the environment.
However, in a world that moves faster and faster, where immediacy is prioritized, processes are set aside, and only achievements are valued, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain that essence.
This is a challenge not only for professional athletes, but for anyone who finds meaning through sport — across disciplines and levels. In this context, the support of brands and institutions becomes more than financial: it becomes essential to protect the athlete’s journey, their health, and the values that keep them grounded.
Problem
Performance is written into every athlete’s sponsorship contract.
Rest never is - even though the athletes we admire are human.
That posed a major challenge for a brand whose essence is about encouraging people to unwind, and connect with nature - especially as it prepared to sponsor the Olympic Games for the first time.
Insight
Even at the highest level, recovery, balance, and relaxation are as essential as performance.
Corona saw an opportunity to lead a shift: what if we didn’t just allow athletes to rest… but actually required it?
Idea
Corona, the world’s most valuable beer brand, introduced the ‘Relaxation Clause’, a new global initiative for all sponsorship agreements that ensures athletes dedicate time to relax and unwind as part of their contract with Corona Cero.
The unique initiative follows Corona Cero’s iconic worldwide partnership with the Olympic Games – the first-of-its kind for a global beer brand. The brand is incorporating this new term in all athlete agreements including Olympian Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina, who created the viral photo while competing, as well as medalists British cyclist Evie Richards, Brazilian surfer Tatiana Weston Webb, Chilean volleyball player Marco Grimalt, South African swimmer Tatjana Smith and Colombian BMX cyclist Mariana Pajón, surfers Pedro Scooby (BR), and Chloé Calmon (BR).
Designed to promote balance, the Relaxation Clause offers athletes flexibility so that they can integrate periods of relaxation into their lifestyle
Moving forward, the Relaxation Clause will be a priority for the brand’s talent partnerships.
Impact
Corona Relaxation Clause became a global standard for talent partnerships, putting relaxation at the core of Corona’s ethos and partnerships across continents with elite athletes like Medina, Richards, Weston Webb, Grimalt, Smith and Pajón.
It reshaped the nature of sports sponsorships, turning rest into a business deliverable, and it cemented Corona’s leadership in pioneering a purpose‑led contractual model, reinforcing the brand’s long-standing commitment to balance, disconnecting, and connecting with nature.
To celebrate the Relaxation Clause and our partnership with the athletes, we invited shaper Ronaldo (@m.shapes), who helped us create personalized and exclusive surfboards for each of them. Each board was designed not only to fit the athletes' body types and surfing styles but also to allow them to try something new. The goal was to give them a moment free from the rigid parameters of competition, letting them focus on surfing just for fun.
