Bella Hadid is a known Palestinian-American model, and has been outspoken against Israel. That is to say, Adidas thought it would be a good idea to use her as the model for their 1972 Olympic shoe relaunch advertisement, while the Jewish community took offense to this.
German company, Adidas has issues an apology for the new 1972 Munich Olympics sneaker range featuring model Bella Hadid.
"it is now 'revising' its ad campaign after sparking global outrage for hiring anti-Israel model Hadid. #BadNewz #Adidas pic.twitter.com/etSSK8sR7z— FV NEWS (@FVMagNYC) July 19, 2024
For those who don't know, Adidas originally debuted this shoe during the '72 Olympics in Munich Germany, which was the site where 11 Israeli athletes and coaches were taken hostage and killed by Black September, a Palestinian terrorist group.
If you were wondering why some people are upset that @Adidas chose model Bella Hadid to be the face of their new SL72 OG shoe honoring the 1972 Olympics, these victims are why. #adidas #olympics pic.twitter.com/yjvtQuU0wA
— Billy Jensen (@Billyjensen) July 18, 2024
"For Adidas to pick a vocal anti-Israel model to recall this dark Olympics is either a massive oversight or intentionally inflammatory. Neither is acceptable. We call on Adidas to address this egregious error," the American Jewish Committee said in a statement posted on X.
A spokesperson for Adidas then subsequently released a statement following all of the backlash received regarding the matter.
"We are conscious that connections have been made to tragic historical events, though these are completely unintentional, and we apologise for any upset or distress caused... As a result we are revising the remainder of the campaign."
Update: Adidas announces it is “revising” its campaign after global outrage ensued concerning their usage of antisemite Bella Hadid to rep their 1972 Olympic shoe re-launch.
11 Israeli athletes were murdered by Palestinian terrorists during the 1972 Munich Olympics. https://t.co/XBxepaMcJQ
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) July 18, 2024
"We believe in sport as a unifying force around the world," Adidas stated. "And will continue our efforts to champion diversity and equality in everything we do."
It is also a sensitive issue for some, considering the history of the company of Adidas, which was founded in 1924 by brothers, Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, who were known members of the Nazi party. Famously during the 1936 Berlin Games, the shoes were displayed for the world to see, as many of the German athletes sported the spiked running shoes, including U.S. track star Jesse Owens. As a result, the shoe became marketed in the West after the war was over.
Related: Jesse Owens' 80-Year-Old Record Finally Broken At Ohio State
