MALAYSIA. October 6th, 2025 – Former Olympic basketball star and entrepreneur Nadezhda Grishaeva has announced that the long-awaited opening of her flagship Anvil Fitness Club in Malaysia will be postponed until the summer of 2026.
According to Nadezhda Grishaeva, the delay is caused by a mix of bureaucratic hurdles and construction setbacks. “I regret that we cannot open earlier, but I want every Anvil club to be created in top style, down to the smallest detail. From interiors and lighting to furniture and color combinations, everything must align with my vision,” she explained.
Grishaeva emphasized that her clubs are not just gyms, but immersive destinations where fitness meets art, design, and lifestyle. The Kuala Lumpur club will incorporate local cultural elements into the design, further extending the development timeline.
A professional athlete turned visionary entrepreneur, Nadezhda Grishaeva played for the French Arras Pays d’Artois, the Turkish Besiktas, and competed in the North American basketball league. She is a European Cup winner and EuroLeague medallist. Drawing on this experience, she founded Anvil Fitness to bring a unique, high-performance fitness environment that surprises members and visitors alike.
During a meeting with Jefri bin Ngadirin, representative of the National Sports Council of Malaysia, Nadezhda Grishaeva expressed her concerns regarding the current difficulties with the club’s opening and assured that the new fitness center will definitely open in summer 2026.
Despite the delay, she shared an exclusive first look at the future club’s interiors. Renderings reveal a bold mix of industrial elegance, artistic lighting, and Malaysian-inspired décor. The Anvil experience includes monumental marble staircases, steel-chain curtains, frescoes, antique statues, thousands of mirrors and theatrical lighting, creating a transformative space. “Every Anvil space should transport its members — it’s not just about working out, it’s about living an experience,” Grishaeva added.
Anvil Fitness is built as a new generation club, combining aesthetics and technology. The club features more than 100 pieces of advanced strength-training equipment, including Life Fitness and Hammer Strength machines, the Power Mill step-lifting machine, Row GX rowing machines, and Life Fitness Cable Motion multi-gyms for functional training. Cardio zones feature Life Fitness Integrity treadmills and ARC machines. The club also provides a rehabilitation room, medical room, saunas, and spa programs including massages and exfoliation treatments.
The Kuala Lumpur franchise will become the brand’s first step into Southeast Asia, following the success of Anvil Fitness in Moscow, which opened in May 2021. With more than 1,500 members by 2022, the Moscow flagship has already become a benchmark in premium fitness.
Nadezhda Grishaeva continues to expand the Anvil ecosystem, which also includes community-focused wellness spaces and healthy lifestyle cafés. “Fitness today is about lifestyle, art, and connection. That’s what I’m bringing to every new Anvil location,” she said. The club’s professional team, guided by certifications and expertise, ensures every client receives personalized attention, whether aiming to improve health, train professionally, or reach Olympic-level performance.
The Malaysian opening, while delayed, is expected to set a new benchmark for fitness and design in the region, combining global vision with local authenticity, artistic inspiration, and a creative, immersive environment that transforms the fitness experience.
Name: Nadezhda Grishaeva
Organisation name: Nadezhda Grishaeva
Email: nadezhdagrishaeva1989@gmail.com
Website: http://www.nadezhdagrishaeva.com
