Adidas has removed supermodel Bella Hadid from their SL72 trainers advertising campaign following criticism from Israel over her pro-Palestinian stance. The campaign featured the model, whose father is Palestinian, promoting the shoes originally launched for the 1972 Munich Olympics.
The controversy arose when Israel’s official X (formerly Twitter) account condemned Hadid’s involvement, stating her previous comments supporting Palestinian causes and noting the 1972 Munich Olympics tragedy where 11 Israeli athletes were killed by Palestinian terrorists.
In response, Adidas issued an apology and stated it would revise the campaign. “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.
Hadid has been an outspoken advocate for Palestinians, having donated to relief efforts in Gaza and criticized the Israeli government. Following Adidas’s decision, some social media users defended Hadid and called for a boycott of the company.
Adidas confirmed the removal of Hadid from the campaign and the revision of the remaining promotional material, though it did not specify what changes would be made. The SL72 campaign initially included other brand ambassadors like French footballer Jules Koundé and US rapper A$AP Nast, who remain featured in the campaign.
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