Adidas apologizes for Bella Hadid campaign amid Munich Olympics controversy
Adidas has issued an apology for featuring model Bella Hadid, who is of Palestinian descent, in a shoe campaign referencing the 1972 Munich Olympics, where 11 Israeli athletes and one German police officer were killed in an attack by Palestinian militants.
Backlash from the American Jewish committee
On July 18, the German sportswear giant faced criticism from the American Jewish Committee (AJC) for choosing Hadid as the face of its new SL72 campaign, which commemorates the 52nd anniversary of the Munich Olympics with the revival of Adidas’ iconic sneaker.
“At the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, 12 Israelis were murdered and taken hostage by Palestinian terrorist group Black September,” the AJC wrote on Twitter. “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.”
The 1972 Munich massacre
On September 5, 1972, eight members of Black September, a Palestinian militant group, infiltrated the Olympic Village in Munich, Germany. They killed two members of the Israeli team and took nine others hostage. The tragic event ended with the deaths of nine Israeli hostages, five Palestinians, and one German police officer.
Bella Hadid’s Palestinian roots and activism
Bella Hadid, 27, daughter of Dutch model Yolanda Hadid and Palestinian real estate developer Mohamed Hadid, has been an outspoken supporter of Palestine amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Adidas revises campaign
In response to the backlash, Adidas announced it would be “revising” its campaign with Hadid. “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,” the company said in a statement to USA Today. “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.”
The campaign featured Hadid wearing a white T-shirt with Adidas’ signature black stripes while holding the newly-launched sneakers. Another photo showed her holding flowers, with the caption: “Giving Bella Hadid her flowers in the SL72.”
Hadid also shared photos of the Adidas billboard campaign displayed in Times Square on Instagram. While her post remains on her account, Adidas has removed all images featuring Hadid from its social media pages.
Previous activism and career impact
The controversy arises weeks after Hadid wore a red and white Keffiyeh dress to the Cannes Film Festival in May, paying homage to her Palestinian heritage. The traditional garment, central to Palestinian culture for centuries, has become a symbol of nationalism and pro-Palestine support.
Despite facing backlash, Hadid has maintained that her pro-Palestine beliefs take precedence over her modeling career. In an August 2022 episode of the Rep podcast, she revealed losing modeling opportunities due to her views. “I had so many companies stop working with me,” Hadid said. “I had friends that completely dropped me, like even friends that I had been having dinner with at their home on Friday nights for seven years, like now just won’t let me at their house anymore.”
In a later interview with GQ, Hadid stated she would not compromise her beliefs for her career. “I realized that I’m not on this earth to be a model,” she explained. “I’m so lucky and blessed that I’m in a position where I can speak out the way that I do. And really, the downfall is what? That I lose my job?”
