Adidas has pulled Palestinian-American model Bella Hadid from an advertising campaign for its newly relaunched SL72 retro sneakers first showcased at the 1972 Munich Olympics, in which 11 Israeli athletes were brutally murdered by the Palestinian group Black September.
The decision comes following controversy over the inclusion of the model, who has a history of anti-Israel and antisemitic rhetoric, in a campaign referencing an event marred by the tragedy.
"Guess who the face of the campaign is? Bella Hadid, a model with Palestinian roots who has spread antisemitism in the past and incited violence against Israelis and Jews," the Israeli embassy in Germany said earlier. The American Jewish Committee also condemned the campaign, calling it an "egregious error" and stating, "For Adidas to pick a vocal anti-Israel model to recall this dark Olympics is either a massive oversight or intentionally inflammatory."
Announcing the decision to drop Hadid, Adidas said in a statement, "We are conscious that connections have been made to tragic historical events – though these are completely unintentional – and we apologize for any upset or distress caused. The company confirmed that Hadid had been removed from the campaign, which highlights the shoes' 1972 introduction but does not mention the attack on Israeli athletes."
Hadid later announced she would sue Adidas for the decision.
The 1972 Munich Olympics massacre was commemorated for the first time at the 2020 Games, held in 2021. Due to security concerns, this year's commemorations in Paris are reportedly set to be held in an undisclosed location.
