Adidas has removed images of model Bella Hadid from advertisements promoting a sports shoe initially launched for the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. The German sportswear company decided to “revise” its campaign following criticism from Israel over Hadid’s involvement.
So Bella Hadid gets removed from a campaign simply because she's spoken up against the killing of her own people? She has NOTHING to do with what happened at the '72 Olympics but just the fact that she's half-Palestinian,she's unacceptable? Adidas should be ashamed#BoycottAdidas
— Zunaira Inam Khan (@ZunairaInam) July 20, 2024
The SL72 trainers, described by Adidas as a timeless classic, were promoted by Hadid, an American model with Palestinian roots. Hadid previously faced backlash from the Israeli government for allegedly chanting “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” and has been accused of antisemitism.
BELLA HADID: “IM NOT AFRAID TO LOSE MODELLING JOBS & I WILL CONTINUE TO SPEAK UP ON PALESTINE” pic.twitter.com/oTZPQrMiiv
— Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) July 20, 2024
Read more: Bella Hadid Quits Modelling to Focus on Real Happiness
Israel’s official account on X objected to Hadid being the “face of [the Adidas] campaign,” highlighting that “eleven Israelis were murdered by Palestinian terrorists during the Munich Olympics.” Hadid has consistently criticized the Israeli government and supported Palestinians, recently urging her Instagram followers to pressure leaders to protect civilians in Gaza.
Adidas stated that the campaign for the SL72 shoe “unites a broad range of partners.” The company acknowledged that unintended connections to tragic historical events were made and apologized for any distress caused. Consequently, Adidas is revising the remainder of the campaign.
The company did not specify the changes to be made. Other advertising images featuring Adidas brand ambassadors such as French footballer Jules Koundé, US rapper A$AP Nast, and Chinese model Sabrina Lan remain online.
Read more: Dior replaces pro-Palestine Bella Hadid with Israeli model
On 5 September 1972, members of the Palestinian group Black September broke into the Olympic village, taking eleven members of the Israeli team hostage and killing them.
This is not the first time Adidas has severed ties with celebrity ambassadors over accusations of antisemitism. In October 2022, Adidas ended its partnership with rapper Kanye West, citing his “unacceptable, hateful and dangerous” comments and actions, which violated the company’s values of diversity, inclusion, mutual respect, and fairness.