After facing severe backlash from the pro-Israel American Jewish Committee (AJC) for making model Bella Hadid the face of a campaign to market a retro sneaker referencing the 1972 Munich Olympics, shoe giant Adidas has issued an apology.
The controversy arose because the 1972 Munich Olympics are remembered as a tragic event where Palestinian terrorists from the militant group “Black September” killed 11 members of Israel’s Olympic team.
Adidas selected Bella Hadid, a model with Palestinian heritage, for its SL72 campaign, celebrating the 52nd anniversary of the Munich Olympics by reviving the classic sneaker from the 1970s. This decision led to criticism from the AJC due to Hadid’s vocal support for Palestinian causes amid ongoing conflicts between Hamas and the Israeli Defense Forces.
The AJC released a statement saying, “At the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, 12 Israelis were murdered and taken hostage by Palestinian terrorist group Black September. 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.”
In response, Adidas apologized for any distress caused and stated, “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.”
