The backlash over the campaign explained

Adidas’s Olympic-themed ad campaign featuring Bella Hadid has not been a winning one.

The German-based brand pulled the ad campaign for retro running shoes inspired by the 1972 Munich Olympics after criticism from Israel as well as Jewish organizations. At issue was Hadid, who’s of Palestinian descent, being the face of the campaign when that year’s Olympics games were overshadowed by a Palestinian militant group’s attack and murder of Israeli athletes, coaches and a German police officer. Adidas has since apologized, including to Hadid amid reports she’s weighing her legal options.

🚨What just happened?

On July 21, Adidas issued an apology — its second — on social media for the “negative impact” brought by the ad campaign.

“Connections continue to be made to the terrible tragedy that occurred at the Munich Olympics due to our recent SL72 campaign,” the brand wrote on its Instagram story. “These connections are not meant and we apologise for any upset or distress caused to communities around the world.”

Adidas called it “an unintentional mistake.”

The brand went on to apologize to Hadid and others featured in the campaign, including rapper A$AP Nast and soccer player Jules Koundé, for “any negative impact on them” and said it’s “revising the campaign.”

Yahoo Entertainment has reached out to Adidas for further comment, and we will update this post if we hear back.

The second apology came one day after Us Weekly reported that Hadid hired lawyers to take legal action against the brand for its “lack of public accountability” for putting out a campaign that “would associate anyone with the death and violence of what took place at the 1972 Munich Games.” A Hadid insider criticized Adidas’s inadequate vetting of the campaign.

TMZ also reported that Hadid was considering legal action. A rep for Hadid did not respond to Yahoo Entertainment’s request for comment about potential litigation.

🗓 How did we end up here?

Adidas touted the campaign — including with a digital billboard in New York City — earlier this month. When an image of Hadid with the sneakers was posted on X on July 18, the state of Israel called out the brand.

.@Adidas recently launched a new campaign for their shoes to highlight the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Eleven Israelis were murdered by Palestinian terrorists during the Munich Olympics.

Guess who the face of their campaign is? Bella Hadid, a half-Palestinian model who has a history… pic.twitter.com/IgdGq2OLmd

— Israel ישראל (@Israel) July 18, 2024

The American Jewish Committee also criticized Adidas, calling it “massive oversight or intentionally inflammatory.”

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… https://t.co/kNWw2cIsB9

— American Jewish Committee (@AJCGlobal) July 18, 2024

Hadid, whose father is Palestinian, has been outspoken in her support of Palestine and criticism of Israel over the years. It’s been amplified amid the Israel-Hamas war, which broke out in October of last year. Hadid and her sister Gigi donated $1 million to support Palestinian relief efforts.

Adidas first apologized on July 19 saying it would be “revising the remainder of the campaign,” and removed social media posts featuring the campaign. Hadid also took down campaign images from her Instagram.

“The adidas Originals SL72 campaign unites a broad range of partners to celebrate our lightweight running shoe, designed more than 50 years ago and worn in sport and culture around the world,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “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. 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.”

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