Adidas removes Bella Hadid from advertising campaign after criticism from Israel

Adidas has pulled images of model Bella Hadid from ads promoting the sports shoes, first launched for the 1972 Munich Olympics, the Guardian reports.

The German sports company said it was revising its campaign after criticism from Israel over Hadid's involvement.

The SL72 sneaker, which Adidas describes as a timeless classic, was promoted by an American model whose family has roots in Palestine.

Hadid, who previously drew the ire of the Israeli government for allegedly chanting the slogan "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free", has been accused of anti-Semitism.

The official Israeli account on Xu (formerly Twitter) expressed displeasure that Hadid was "the face of the Adidas campaign" in a post that noted that "eleven Israelis were killed by Palestinian terrorists during the Munich Olympics."

Hadid has repeatedly criticized the Israeli government and supported the Palestinians over the years, and on October 23 she posted a statement on Instagram lamenting the loss of innocent lives and urging her followers to pressure their leaders to protect civilians in Gaza.

In a statement, Adidas pointed out that the campaign for SL72 sneakers "unites a wide range of partners". "We are aware of the links to tragic historical events – although completely unintentional – and apologize for any distress or stress caused. As a result, we are revising the rest of the campaign," the company said.

It is not specified what changes will be made. Other promotional images featuring Adidas brand ambassadors, including French soccer player Gilles Cunde, American rapper A$AP Nast and Chinese model Sabrina Lan, remain online.

Members of the Palestinian group Black September stormed the Olympic Village on September 5, 1972. Eleven members of the Israeli team were taken hostage and later killed.

This is not the first time a sports company has cut ties with celebrity ambassadors following allegations of anti-Semitism.

Adidas ended its partnership with rapper Kanye West in October 2022, saying it "does not tolerate anti-Semitism" after the rapper was suspended from Instagram and Twitter for offensive posts.

They said Vest's comments and actions were "unacceptable, hateful and dangerous and violate the company's values ​​of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness."