Sports apparel brand Adidas has apologised to Palestinian-American supermodel Bella Hadid following backlash over her removal from a recent advertising campaign that referenced the 1972 Olympics in Munich.
The advertising campaign was intended to promote the relaunch of Adidas SL72 sneakers.
The Adidas SL72 sneakers were originally designed for the Munich Games, but they drew significant criticism due to Hadid’s part-Palestinian heritage and her outspoken support for Palestinian causes.
According to the reports, the controversy began when Hadid appeared in an advertisement in early July.
The Israeli government and pro-Israeli groups condemned the decision of Adidas to feature the model, connecting her to the tragic incident of Israelis during the 1972 Olympics.
It is pertinent to mention here that, on September 5, 1972, members of the Palestinian group “Black September” (a Palestinian militant organization founded in 1970) broke into the Olympic Village, taking more than nine hostages and killing two Israeli athletes. During a rescue attempt by German forces, the nine hostages and a West German police officer were killed.
Bella Hadid, whose father is the Palestinian businessman, Mohamed Hadid, is outspoken for the Palestinian cause and often participates in pro-Palestine rallies to condemn Israeli aggression in the occupied territories of Palestine.
Bending to criticism from the pro-Israeli groups, Adidas, a German sportswear giant, said the move was “an unintentional mistake” and that the company would be “revising” its campaign.
Subsequently, last week, Adidas removed photos of Bella Hadid from its social media accounts, while photos of model Sabrina Lan, rapper ASASP Nast, musician Melissa Bon, and footballer Jules Kounde who were also featured in the advertisement remained.
The decision of Adidas to remove Hadid from the ad campaign prompted many users to criticise it, who described it as “blatant racism” against the Palestinian model.
The calls to boycott Adidas surfaced on social media, With Europe, the Middle East, and Africa accounting for 39 percent of Adidas’ net sales and the Asia-Pacific region adding another 11 percent, the potential impact of a boycott on the brand’s bottom line could be significant.
The global boycott calls prompted Adidas to issue an apology letter. However, as the controversy unfolds, Bella Hadid has reportedly hired a legal team in response to her removal from the campaign.
In a statement on Instagram, Hadid said she had been dealing with many threats but remained unafraid.
