Adidas Removes Bella Hadid from Ad Campaign Following Criticism

 Adidas has removed images of model Bella Hadid from advertisements promoting their SL72 sports shoes, initially launched during the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. The German-based sportswear giant announced it is "revising" its campaign after facing criticism from Israel regarding Hadid’s participation.

The SL72 trainers, described by Adidas as a timeless classic, were being promoted by Hadid, an American model with Palestinian roots. Hadid, who has previously faced backlash from the Israeli government for allegedly chanting “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” has been accused of antisemitism.

Israel’s official account on X expressed its objection to Hadid being "the face of [the Adidas] campaign," highlighting that “eleven Israelis were murdered by Palestinian terrorists during the Munich Olympics.”

Hadid has been vocal in her criticism of the Israeli government and her support for Palestinians over the years. On October 23, she posted on Instagram, lamenting the loss of innocent lives and urging her followers to pressure their leaders to protect civilians in Gaza.

In response to the controversy, Adidas stated that the campaign for the SL72 shoe “unites a broad range of partners.” The company acknowledged the unintended connections to tragic historical events and apologized for any upset or distress caused. “As a result, we are revising the remainder of the campaign,” Adidas said. However, they did not specify the changes to be made. Other advertisements featuring Adidas brand ambassadors like French footballer Jules Koundé, US rapper A$AP Nast, and Chinese model Sabrina Lan remain online.

The historical context referenced involves the Palestinian group Black September, which on September 5, 1972, took eleven Israeli team members hostage and killed them during the Munich Olympics.

This is not the first instance of Adidas severing ties with celebrity ambassadors over accusations of antisemitism. In October 2022, Adidas ended its partnership with rapper Kanye West, citing his antisemitic remarks and offensive social media posts. Adidas declared that West's comments and actions were “unacceptable, hateful and dangerous and violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.”