Adidas recently withdrew images of model Bella Hadid from its campaign for the SL72 trainers, originally launched for the 1972 Munich Olympics. This decision followed criticism from Israel due to Hadid's involvement.
The controversy stems from Hadid's vocal support for Palestinian causes, which has previously drawn criticism from the Israeli government. Israel's official account on X objected to Hadid as the face of the campaign, highlighting the tragic events of the 1972 Olympics, where eleven Israelis were killed by the Palestinian group Black September.
Adidas stated that while the campaign aimed to unite diverse partners, unintended connections to historical events led to their decision to revise it, apologising for any distress caused. Other ambassadors, such as French footballer Jules Koundé, US rapper A$AP Nast, and Chinese model Sabrina Lan, remain part of the campaign.
This isn't the first instance of Adidas cutting ties over accusations of antisemitism. In 2022, Adidas ended its partnership with rapper Kanye West after his offensive posts violated the company's values.