Adidas 'revising' campaign for retro shoes that drew criticism from Israel

BERLIN (AP) — Adidas said Friday that it is “revising” its campaign for running shoes inspired by a design dating back to the time of the 1972 Munich Olympics, which has drawn criticism from Israel over the involvement of supermodel Bella Hadid.

The German-based sportswear company has been advertising the SL72 shoes, which it describes as a “timeless classic.” Israel's official account on social media network X objected to Hadid as “the face of their campaign” in a post Thursday which noted that “eleven Israelis were murdered by Palestinian terrorists during the Munich Olympics.”

Hadid, whose father is Palestinian, has repeatedly made public remarks criticizing the Israeli government and supporting Palestinians over the years. After the latest conflict between Israel and Hamas broke out, she posted an Oct. 23 statement on Instagram, lamenting the loss of innocent lives while calling on followers to pressure their leaders to protect civilians in Gaza.

Adidas said in an emailed statement that the campaign for the SL72 shoe “unites a broad range of partners.”

“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," it said. "As a result, we are revising the remainder of the campaign.”

It did not specify what changes would be made.

Members of the Palestinian group Black September broke into the Olympic Village, killed two athletes from Israel’s national team and took nine more hostage on Sept. 5, 1972. The attackers hoped to force the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel as well as two left-wing extremists in West German jails.

All nine hostages and a West German police officer died during a rescue attempt by German forces.