Adidas Faces Backlash for Featuring Bella Hadid in 1972 Munich Olympics Campaign

USA (VINnews)– Adidas recently launched a new campaign to highlight their shoes from the 1972 Munich Olympics. This campaign has sparked significant controversy due to the history of the Munich Olympics, where eleven Israelis were murdered by Palestinian terrorists. The face of this campaign is Bella Hadid, a half-Palestinian model known for her outspoken anti-Israel hatred.

Hadid’s involvement in the campaign has raised many eyebrows. The Palestinian-American model has appeared on a prominent billboard in Times Square, drawing even more attention to the campaign. Her high-visibility advertisement has intensified the debate over Adidas’s choice of spokesperson, given her history of spreading antisemitism and calling for violence against Israelis and Jews.

The Munich Olympics are notoriously remembered for the tragic event where Palestinian terrorists killed 11 Israeli athletes. The association of the 1972 Olympics with such a dark chapter in history adds a layer of complexity to the current marketing campaign. Many critics find the decision to feature Hadid in this specific campaign to be particularly insensitive, considering her activism and the historical context.

Adding to the controversy, Hadid and her father have frequently promoted blood libels and antisemitic conspiracies against Jews. This new campaign comes after Adidas’s history of controversial associations, including being founded by Nazi Adolf Dassler and maintaining a long-term partnership with Kanye West despite his antisemitic remarks. The ongoing choices by Adidas continue to fuel concerns about their ethical commitments and marketing strategies.