Adidas issues apology, removes images of anti-Israel model Bella Hadid from its 1972 Munich Olympics shoe campaign

The global shoe brand Adidas has issued an apology following backlash from Israel and the global Jewish community over a controversial 1972 Munich Olympics shoe campaign. The campaign featured American model Bella Hadid, who has Palestinian roots and is known for her outspoken anti-Israel views.

On Sept. 5, 1972, eight Palestinian terrorists from Black September, a group that is affiliated with the Fatah party, murdered two Israeli Olympic team athletes. The terrorists also kidnapped an additional nine Israeli athletes who were later murdered by the terrorists during an unsuccessful rescue operation. 

"The Adidas Originals SL72 campaign unites a broad range of partners to celebrate our lightweight running shoe, designed more than 50 years ago and worn in sport and culture around the world," an Adidas spokesperson stated.

The Adidas official claimed that the connection between the 1972 Munich Olympics tragedy and the anti-Israel activist Bella Hadid was unintentional. 

“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. As a result, we are revising the remainder of the campaign. We believe in sport as a unifying force around the world and will continue our efforts to champion diversity and equality in everything we do,” the spokesperson added.

In addition to the apology, Adidas removed images of Hadid from the controversial campaign, which the company is “revising,” according to the Guardian.

The Adidas campaign has been widely criticized for being insensitive toward the Israeli victims of Palestinian terrorism. Shlomit Romano, the daughter of the Israeli Olympics weightlifter Josef Romano who was murdered at the 1972 Munich Olympics, expressed her “deep disappointment” with Adidas in Germany. 

“The 1972 Olympic Games in Munich are infamously remembered for the tragic attack carried out by the Palestinian organization, Black September, which resulted in the murder of 11 Israeli athletes. This event is a somber chapter in Olympic history and a painful memory for many around the world, particularly the families and friends of the victims, as well as the broader Jewish community,” Romano stated. 

“I believe that companies like Adidas, which have a global influence, bear a responsibility to be mindful of historical contexts and the potential implications of their marketing decisions. I urge you to reconsider the campaign and find a more appropriate way to honor the legacy of your brand without inadvertently causing pain or controversy," she added. 

Adidas is no stranger to controversy concerning Jews and antisemitism.

In 2022, Adidas decided to end its previous partnership with Kanye West (Ye) due to his blatantly antisemitic comments and admiration of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. 

“Adidas does not tolerate anti-Semitism and any other sort of hate speech,” the company said in an official statement at the time. “Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.”

In May 2021, amid the previous war between Hamas and Israel, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach condemned Hadid for falsely accusing Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza and comparing Israel’s counter-terrorism operations with the Holocaust of six million Jews. 

“This is the ultimate blood libel, falsely accusing Israel, the only free society in the Middle East, of genocide. Hadid shockingly compares the Holocaust of six million Jews to Israel fighting back against the Hamas rockets intent on murdering children,” Boteach stated.