Shoemaker Adidas is facing criticism from the pro-Israel American Jewish Committee for selecting Bella Hadid as the face of a campaign promoting a retro 1972 Summer Olympic Games sneaker.
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| Bella Hadid KRISTY SPAROW/GETTY IMAGES |
The ad campaign coincides with the 52nd anniversary of the Munich Games, where 12 Israeli coaches and athletes were massacred by Palestinian terrorists. Members of the Black September group stormed the Olympic Village, took the Israelis hostage, and ultimately killed them, making it a major breaking news story of the Munich Games.
Hadid—whose father, Mohamed Hadid, is a Palestinian immigrant—has faced criticism alongside her sister Gigi Hadid from pro-Israel campaigners for supporting relief efforts for Palestinians in Gaza amidst the ongoing conflict between Hamas and the Israeli Defense Forces.
“At the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, 12 Israelis were murdered and taken hostage by the Palestinian terrorist group Black September. For Adidas to choose a vocal anti-Israel model to commemorate this dark chapter in Olympic history is either a massive oversight or intentionally inflammatory. Neither is acceptable. We call on Adidas to address this egregious error,” the AJC said in a statement on Thursday.
Steven Spielberg’s 2005 film Munich depicted the real-life events surrounding the massacre of Israelis at the 1972 games.
The "Originals' SL 72" running shoe campaign, launched on Monday, also features footballer Jules Koundé, rapper and songwriter A$AP Nast, musician Melissa Bon, and model Sabrina Lan.
In response to the backlash, Adidas issued a statement to THR, noting that it is “revising” its Munich Games retro running shoe campaign to address political and historical sensitivities. “We are aware that connections have been made to tragic historical events—though these are entirely 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.”
