Sportswear company Adidas has drawn criticism for releasing a shoe that was first launched at the 1972 Munich Olympics, where Israeli athletes and coaches were killed in an attack by Palestinian terrorists, and using a model accused of antisemitism in its ad campaign.
“First unveiled in 1972, the introduction of the SL 72 sneaker was the spark plug that initiated a paradigm shift in the realm of running shoes,” the company said in a press release on July 15.
In a post on X, Dazed & Confused Magazine wrote about the launch, saying the shoe was “first introduced as a runners’ shoe for the 1972 Olympic games in Munich.” After seeing the campaign online, social media users were quick to point out their concern, especially due to the person chosen to lead the campaign.
American-Palestinian supermodel Bella Hadid — who has been speaking out about Palestinian rights since October 7, when Hamas terrorists attacked Israel — is the face of the campaign. She has been accused of antisemitism by Jewish advocacy groups like Stand With Us, and has shared Instagram posts with misinformation about the Israel-Hamas War.
After four hostages were rescued from Gaza, Hadid shared a since-deleted post that hostage Almog Meir Jan was given a cake by his captors to celebrate his birthday. The information was taken out of context, as Jan explained the cake was only a “cynical” gesture, the Times of Israel reported. Officials later confirmed that Jan and the other hostages were abused and malnourished, per the Times.
Hadid has more than 60 million followers on Instagram.
Many people on X questioned Adidas’ choices when it came to relaunching the SL 72 sneaker. Comments flooded the company’s post about the campaign on Thursday.
“How can a company say they hate Jews without saying they hate Jews I wonder…,” wrote one person on X.
“First Kanye and now another antisemite to celebrate the Munich Massacre? You hate Jews and learned nothing,” another person wrote, referring to Adidas’ partnership with U.S. rapper Kanye West, who notoriously went on antisemitic rants in interviews and on social media.
Adidas eventually terminated the partnership with West after much public outcry.
Jewish author Hen Mazzig wrote that he thought the latest campaign was done deliberately.
“This is not a mistake, it’s by design,” he said in a post on X on Thursday.
“A Palestinian model, notorious for spreading blood libel and vile hate speech against Jews, is now referencing the 1972 Munich Olympics, where Palestinian terrorists slaughtered Israeli athletes.”
“Antisemite Bella Hadid was chosen by Adidas as the face for the 1972 Olympic shoe relaunch. The same Olympics in which Jews were butchered by Palestinian terrorists. If the shoes fits @adidas — how on par, wrote American non-profit organization, Stop Antisemitism, in a post on X.
Another group dedicated to Jewish advocacy, the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), called for Adidas to drop Hadid as the face of the campaign and to apologize immediately in a news release on Thursday.
“Thoughtless actions like this only embolden Israel haters and antisemites ahead of the Paris Olympics scheduled to start next week with an Israeli delegation that has already been repeatedly threatened with violence,” said CAM’s CEO Sacha Roytman.
In a statement to the National Post, an Adidas spokesperson said that the running shoe was designed more than 50 years ago and was “worn in sport and culture around the world.”
“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,” the statement said.
“As a result we are revising the remainder of the campaign. 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.”
At the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany, eight members of Black September, a Palestinian terrorist group, infiltrated the Olympic village. They took 11 Israelis hostage, a mixture of athletes and coaches. All of them were killed, the Times of Israel reported. The fatal attack has been named the Munich Massacre.
A small memorial ceremony is set to be held in honour of the victims ahead of this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, per the Jewish Chronicle. It was reported by Israel Hayom that the ceremony was to be done in private due to security concerns; however, the Israel Olympic Committee said it was because of the team’s “tight schedule.”
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