Adidas issued an apology to model Bella Hadid following the removal of her recent Olympics-inspired ad campaign, which drew parallels to the 1972 Munich games.
According to reports, Hadid, 27, hired lawyers to take legal action against Adidas for their lack of public accountability in creating a campaign that “would associate anyone with the death and violence of what took place at the 1972 Munich Games.”
In a statement to the press, Adidas expressed remorse, saying, “Connections continue to be made to the terrible tragedy that occurred at the Munich Olympics due to our recent SL72 campaign. These connections are not meant, and we apologize for any upset or distress caused to communities around the world.”
The sportswear brand also acknowledged their mistake, stating, “We made an unintentional mistake. We also apologize to our partners, Bella Hadid, A$AP Nast, Jules Koundé, and others, for any negative impact on them, and we are revising the campaign.”
Hadid, Nast, and Koundé were part of the Adidas “SL72” campaign, modeling sneakers inspired by the 1972 Munich Olympics. The shoes were originally released in 1972 to equip athletes competing in the summer games.
The 1972 Munich Olympics were marred by tragedy when a horrific massacre took place just a week into the multi-sport event. Eight members of the Palestinian Black September militant group took 11 Israeli athletes and coaches hostage, resulting in the murder of all victims, as well as a West German police officer.
The ad campaign sparked backlash, particularly from the American Jewish Committee and the State of Israel, due to Hadid’s Palestinian heritage.
Adidas released a separate statement addressing the criticism, apologizing for the direction of the advertisement and announcing plans to revise the remainder of 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,” they said.
Courtesy of Bella Hadid/Instagram Bella Hadid has spoken candidly about her struggles with Lyme disease over the years. The model was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2012 at age 16. Bella, however, wasn’t the only one in her family who has been publicly battling the illness. Her mother, Yolanda Hadid, confirmed at the Global Lyme […]
Adidas reaffirmed their commitment to promoting diversity and equality, stating, “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.”
The American Jewish Committee condemned the advertisement, demanding that Adidas rectify the “egregious error” they made in creating a campaign that “recall[ed] this dark Olympics.”
Hadid has yet to release a statement regarding the campaign controversy.
