Adidas removes Bella Hadid from campaign, apologises later

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.

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.

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.