Adidas said it will revise a campaign that features Palestinian-American supermodel and activist Bella Hadid modeling a sneaker recalling the 1972 Munich Olympics — the Games where 11 Israelis died in a terror attack by a Palestinian terrorist group.
Various Jewish and pro-Israel leaders and institutions said Hadid, who has been harshly critical of Israel in her activism on behalf of Palestinians, was an inappropriate choice to represent a sneaker associated with those games.
The official X account for the State of Israel posted about the 1972 campaign, accusing Hadid and her father, Los Angeles real estate developer Mohamed Hadid, of promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories and asking Adidas for comment.
“Eleven Israelis were murdered by Palestinian terrorists during the Munich Olympics,” the post said. “Guess who the face of their campaign is? Bella Hadid, a half-Palestinian model who has a history of spreading antisemitism and calling for violence against Israelis and Jews. She and her father frequently promote blood libels and antisemitic conspiracies against Jews.”
The American Jewish Committee also condemned the Adidas campaign on X, calling it an “egregious error.”
“For Adidas to pick a vocal anti-Israel model to recall this dark Olympics is either a massive oversight or intentionally inflammatory,” the AJC wrote. “Neither is acceptable.”
A spokesperson for Adidas told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the company would be “revising” the campaign for the shoe, called Adidas Originals SL72, in response to the criticism, although it did not specify how. The shoe is a replica of a style worn by athletes at the 1972 games.
“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,” the spokesperson said. “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.”
Hadid was among five celebrities, models and athletes hired as models for the new SL 72 campaign.
Model Sabrina Lan (left) and rapper ASAP Nast (right) were also tapped by Adidas to showcase the SL 72 sneakers. (Photos courtesy of Adidas. Design by Jackie Hajdenberg)
The revision marks yet another instance where the German-based athletic apparel company has faced public scrutiny over its representatives and design choices. Earlier this year, the typeface for the German soccer team DFB’s jersey number 44 (which is not currently in use by the team, but which buyers can customize) was discovered to resemble the Nazi SS symbol. In 2022, Adidas broke ties with Ye, the rapper and designer formerly known as Kanye West, due to his multiple antisemitic comments.
Hadid, whose father was born in Nazareth, has been a vocal activist for Palestinians since long before Oct. 7, 2023, and frequently uses her large social media presence to advocate for and bring attention to pro-Palestinian causes. She and her sister Gigi Hadid have together donated $1 million to support multiple Palestinian relief efforts in Gaza, including HEAL Palestine, Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, World Central Kitchen, and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
Hadid has occasionally shared misinformation about the Israel-Hamas war and received criticism for sharing social media posts downplaying the experiences of the Israelis held hostage in Gaza.
At the 1972 Munich Olympics, eight members of the Palestinian terror group Black September broke into the Israeli Olympic team’s residence, immediately killing one coach and one member of the weightlifting team, and took nine more Israeli team members hostage. All were killed during a botched rescue operation, as was a West German police officer.
The massacre was commemorated at the Olympics for the first time at the 2020 Games, held in 2021. This year’s commemorations in Paris are reportedly set to be held in an undisclosed location, due to security concerns.
