Adidas has apologised to Bella Hadid after the supermodel was removed from a shoe campaign that was in reference to an Olympics at which Israeli athletes were killed by pro-Palestinian terrorists.
Adverts featuring the US supermodel for a relaunch of an Adidas shoe from the 1972 Munich Olympics were pulled on Friday, after pro-Israel groups called them “sick” and offensive.
After reports suggested Hadid was considering legal action against Adidas over the campaign, the company issued an apology to the model, and a number of others.
“Connections continue to be made to the terrible tragedy that occurred at the Munich Olympics due to our recent SL72 campaign,” it said on its Adidas Originals Instagram feed.
“These connections are not meant, and we apologise for any upset or distress caused to communities around the world. We made an unintentional mistake.
“We also apologise to our partners, Bella Hadid, ASAP Nast, Jules Koundé, and others, for any negative impact on them and we are revising the campaign.”
Adidas said they ‘apologise to our partners, Bella Hadid… for any negative impact on them’. Pic: AP
Palestinian terrorists from the group Black September killed 11 Israeli athletes and a German police officer at the 1972 Games.
Hadid – whose father is Palestinian – has been outspoken against Israel’s war on Hamas, in which more than 39,000 Palestinians have been killed since 7 October, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.
Hamas insurgents stormed into southern Israel on 7 October and killed some 1,200 people – mostly civilians – and abducted about 250 hostages.
As a result of Hadid’s views and the historic terror attack, the American Jewish Committee said Adidas was using “a vocal anti-Israel model” for the campaign, which they said “is either a massive oversight or intentionally inflammatory”.
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The chief executive of the Combat Antisemitism Movement also said: “To have her launch a shoe commemorating an Olympics when so much Jewish blood was shed is just sick.”
After pulling the adverts on Friday, Adidas said in a statement to Sky’s US partner network NBC News: “We are conscious that connections have been made to tragic historical events – though these are completely unintentional – and we apologise for any upset or distress caused.
“As a result we are revising the remainder of the campaign.”