Bella Hadid Apologizes After Backlash Over Adidas Campaign Linked to 1972 Olympics

Bella Hadid is breaking her silence after receiving backlash following an Adidas campaign referencing the 52nd anniversary of the Munich Olympics. In the ad, Hadid is featured wearing shoes inspired by the Adidas’ SL72 sneakers, which debuted in the 1972 Munich Olympics that were struck by tragedy when 11 Israelis and a West German police officer were killed by militant group Black September.

In a lengthy Instagram Story post on Monday, the model shared she would “never knowingly engage” in work linked to a “horrific tragedy.”

“I want to make sure you’re hearing directly from me about my recent campaign with Adidas,” she wrote. “I would never knowingly engage with any art or work that is linked to a horrific tragedy of any kind. In advance of the campaign’s release, I had no knowledge of the historical connection to the atrocious events in 1972. I am shocked, I am upset, and I am disappointed in the lack of sensitivity that went into this campaign.”

Hadid continued by saying that she would “never have participated” in the Adidas campaign, had she been educated of the terror attack at the games that year.

“My team should have known, Adidas should have known and I should have done more research so that I too would have known and understood, and spoken up,” Hadid wrote. “As I always have, and always will, speak up for what I believe to be wrong. While everyone’s intentions were to make something positive, and bring people together through art, the collective lack of understanding from all parties undermined the process.”

“I do not believe in hate in any form, including antisemitism,” she continued. “That will never waiver, and I stand by that statement to the fullest extent.”

Hadid also criticized the association of the push for “liberation of the Palestinian people” to terrorism. “Palestine is not synonymous with terrorism and this campaign unintentionally highlighted an event that does not represent who we are,” Hadid wrote. “I am a proud Palestinian woman and there is so much more to our culture than the things that have been equated over the past week.”

“I will forever stand by my people of Palestine while continuing to advocate for a world free of antisemitism. Antisemitism has no place in the liberation of the Palestinian people,” she continued. “I will always stand for peace over violence, any day. Hate has no place here, and I will forever advocate for not only my people, but every person worldwide.”

Earlier this summer, when the Adidas Originals campaign was unveiled, the American Jewish Committee quickly called the decision “a massive oversight or intentionally inflammatory,” describing the decision as unacceptable and calling for Adidas to address the incident.

The company pulled photos from the campaign online and shared a full-fledged apology in mid-July “for any upset or distress caused” by it. “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 to USA Today read. “As a result, we are revising the remainder of the campaign.”