Bella Hadid apologizes for Adidas campaign linked to Munich Olympics tragedy

Supermodel Bella Hadid has addressed the controversy surrounding her participation in an Adidas campaign that was pulled due to backlash. Hadid was the face of a campaign for a reissued shoe from the 1972 Munich Olympics, an event marked by the killing of 11 members of the Israeli team by pro-Palestinian terrorists. Hadid, whose father is Palestinian, has been an outspoken critic of Israel's actions in Gaza and has donated $1 million to Palestinian relief efforts along with her sister Gigi Hadid.

Adidas apologized to Hadid after rumors that she was considering legal action against the company. The 27-year-old model has now spoken out, claiming she was unaware of the historical context and would never knowingly be associated with any work related to a horrific tragedy. “I am shocked, upset and disappointed by the insensitivity of this campaign,” she expressed on Instagram. He added that he would not have been involved if he had been informed, and that both his team and Adidas should have been more aware.

The campaign aimed to revive the 'classic' trainer first created for Adidas athletes at the Munich Olympics. An ad featuring Hadid wearing the sneakers while holding flowers was shown on Adidas platforms and on a billboard in Times Square. The American Jewish Committee criticized Adidas for using Hadid, whom they described as “a vocal anti-Israel role model,” for the campaign, calling it “massively careless or intentionally inflammatory.”

Hadid rejected the association between “the liberation of the Palestinian people” and an anti-Semitic attack, stating that “Palestine is not synonymous with terrorism and this campaign inadvertently highlighted an event that does not represent who we are.” He affirmed his Palestinian pride and his commitment to defend a world free of anti-Semitism.

After the ads were pulled, Adidas stated: “We are aware that connections have been made to tragic historical events, although they are not entirely intentional, and we apologize for any discomfort or distress caused. As a result, we are reviewing the rest of the campaign”.