KUALA LUMPUR, July 19 — Adidas has apologised for “causing offence and distress” by featuring Palestinian supermodel Bella Hadid in an advertisement for its re-released Munich 1972 Olympic sneakers.
Adidas, known worldwide for its athletic footwear, is reintroducing Adidas’ iconic 1970s sneakers to mark the 52nd anniversary of the Munich Olympics and has chosen Hadid as the face of its SL72 campaign.
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The 1972 Munich Olympics were marred by a tragic terrorist attack that claimed the lives of 11 Israeli athletes and one German police officer at the hands of Palestinian extremist groups amid the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hadid, whose father is Palestinian, describes herself as “proud Palestinian.”
Hadid, 27, is an outspoken supporter of Palestine and frequently uses her voice to speak out for Palestinians affected by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Last year she was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine.
“While completely unintentional, we recognize that an association has been made with a tragic historical event and we apologize for any offense or distress caused,” Adidas said in a statement to USA Today Sports.
“As a result, we will be revising the remainder of our campaign. We believe sport is a unifying force in the world and will continue to strive to champion diversity and equality in everything we do.”
The SL72 campaign showed Bella Hadid wearing Adidas clothing and holding flowers, highlighting the sneakers.
“Introducing Bella Hadid in floral SL 72,” Adidas Originals posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Following an apology and a promise to review the campaign, all tweets featuring Hadid have been removed from the Adidas Originals X account and Instagram, but as of yesterday afternoon, Hadid still appeared on the Adidas website.
The American Jewish Committee (AJC) called on Adidas to address its “serious errors.”
“At the 1972 Munich Olympics, 12 Israelis were murdered and taken hostage by the Palestinian terrorist group Black September. Adidas’ choice of a vociferously anti-Israel model to evoke that dark Olympics is either a gross oversight or deliberate incitement. Neither is acceptable,” the AJC posted on X yesterday.
