Adidas apologises after dropping Bella Hadid from Munich Olympics shoe campaign
Sports apparel brand Adidas has apologised to Palestinian-American supermodel Bella Hadid after removing her from its latest shoe campaign, which references the 1972 Olympics in Munich.
In early July, Hadid appeared in advertisements to relaunch the brand's SL72s trainers, originally designed for the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, during which 11 Israeli athletes and a German police officer were killed in an attack by a Palestinian militant group.
Adidas said the move was "an unintentional mistake" and that the company would be “revising” its campaign. The decision came after the Israeli government and pro-Israeli groups condemned the decision to feature the model, connecting the trainers to the deaths of Israelis during the 1972 Olympics.
Amid reports that Hadid was planning to take legal action against the company for their "lack of public accountability", Adidas apologised to her and other celebrities involved in the campaign for any "negative impact" caused.
"Connections continue to be made to the terrible tragedy that occurred at the Munich Olympics due to our recent SL72 campaign," the company said in a story posted on the Adidas Originals Instagram page.
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"These connections are not meant, and we apologise for any upset or distress caused to communities around the world. We made an unintentional mistake."
Last week, Adidas removed photos of Hadid from its social media accounts, while photos of football player Jules Kounde, rapper ASAP Nast, musician Melissa Bon and model Sabrina Lan, who were also featured in the campaign, remained. This prompted many users to criticise the move as “blatant racism” against the Palestinian model.
Hadid's removal from the campaign also led to calls for a boycott of the brand.
Hadid has long spoken out in support of Palestine, becoming particularly vocal in recent months as the destruction and death toll in Gaza have dominated headlines.
In a statement on Instagram in late October, Hadid said she had been dealing with many threats but remained unafraid.
“My heart is bleeding with the pain from the trauma I am seeing unfold, as well as the generational trauma of my Palestinian blood.”
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