Adidas cuts pro-Palestinian Bella Hadid from shoe campaign linked to deadly 1972 Olympics

Adidas has removed Bella Hadid from its social media pages after issuing an apology for “any upset or distress caused” by its release of an ad campaign for retro sneakers based on shoes first released during the 1972 Munich Olympics.

The company selected Hadid as the face of its SL72 project, which marks the 52nd anniversary of the Munich Olympics with a throwback to Adidas’ popular shoe from the 1970s.

In 1972, the Games were marred by the infamous Munich massacre, which happened after Palestinian militant group Black September orchestrated a terrorist attack targeting Israeli Olympic team members, nine of whom were taken hostage. By the time it was over, 11 Israelis, a West German police officer and five of the terrorists died.

The controversy follows the sportswear company’s decision to hire Hadid, who is Palestinian American and vocal about her advocacy for Palestinian relief efforts. Hadid, 27, has been posting her support for the Palestinian cause on social media for years. In 2017, the model spelled out her thoughts on Instagram.

“Watching the news and seeing the pain of the Palestinian people makes me cry for the many many generations of Palestine. Seeing the sadness of my father, cousins, and Palestinian family that are feeling for our Palestinian ancestors makes this even harder to write,” Hadid said. “The TREATMENT of the Palestinian people is unfair, one-sided and should not be tolerated. I stand with Palestine.”

Adidas faced criticism from Jewish organizations and Israel for aligning the SL72 campaign with a model known for her pro-Palestinian sentiments. The American Jewish Committee condemned Adidas’ decision, labeling it either a “massive oversight or intentionally inflammatory.”

“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 AJC said in a post on the social media platform X.

Adidas subsequently issued its apology.

“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,” a spokesperson told The Times via email.

“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.”

Representatives for Hadid were not reachable for comment Friday. A pinned post on the model’s Instagram account from 2021 underscores her commitment to raising awareness about Palestinian issues.

“A Palestinian girl on the cover of Vogue. The joy it brings me to say that….I won’t stop talking about the systematic oppression, pain and humility that Palestinians face on a regular basis. With only love in my heart and an open mind to educate myself and learn more every day…. No matter what.”