Adidas has removed supermodel Bella Hadid, who is half Palestinian, from an advertising campaign for retro shoes that reference the 1972 Munich Olympics.
The decision came after Israel criticized the choice, citing Hadid’s vocal support for Palestinians and noting that 11 Israeli athletes were killed by Palestinian attackers at the Munich Games.
Adidas apologized for the campaign and announced it would “revise” it. Hadid, a prominent supporter of Palestinian causes, has previously donated money to support relief efforts in Gaza.
The German sportswear company had initially selected Hadid to promote its SL72 trainers, originally launched during the 1972 Olympics.
The recent relaunch of these shoes was part of a series reviving classic trainers. However, images of Hadid wearing the shoes sparked criticism, including from Israel’s official account on X (formerly Twitter).
BBC News has contacted Hadid’s representatives for comment.
“Guess who the face of their campaign is? Bella Hadid, a half-Palestinian model,” a post read on Thursday.
It referred to the attack at the 1972 games, which happened when members of the Palestinian Black September group broke into the Olympic village. In addition to the Israeli athletes, a German police officer was also killed.
Other social media users defended Ms Hadid and called for a boycott of Adidas following the move to pull the campaign.
Adidas confirmed to AFP that Hadid had been removed from the campaign.
In a statement provided to the news agency, the company said it would be “revising the remainder of the campaign” with immediate effect.
“We are conscious that connections have been made to tragic historical events — though these are completely unintentional — and we apologise for any upset or distress caused.”
Bella Hadid, whose father is Palestinian property tycoon Mohamed Anwar Hadid, has been outspoken in her support for people affected by the war in Gaza.
In a May Instagram post, Hadid expressed her devastation over the loss of Palestinian lives and criticized the global lack of empathy from governmental systems.
Last month, Bella and her sister Gigi Hadid donated $1 million (£785,000) to support Palestinian relief efforts.
The conflict in Gaza escalated when Hamas gunmen launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, resulting in about 1,200 deaths and the abduction of 252 people taken back to Gaza as hostages.
Israel’s military response aimed to destroy Hamas and free the hostages. According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, more than 38,900 people have been killed in the territory since the conflict began.