adidas CEO addresses Bella Hadid SL 72 Campaign Rumours

ICYMI: Bella Hadid was front-and-centre of the new campaign for the , which was originally released for the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. They have since pulled the campaign following criticism from Israel, and now Hadid is said to be taking legal action.

Israel posted a statement publicly condemning the campaign because of the connection to the Munich massacre, which took place during week two of the 1972 Games. They went on to criticise the choice of Hadid as the star of the campaign, since she is of Palestinian heritage and has been vocal in her support for Palestine.

As a result, adidas have since pulled the advertisements that feature Bella Hadid, telling NBC News that they’re ‘revising the remainder of the campaign’ and further apologising for ‘distress caused’. While the SL 72 sneaker has no relation to the tragedy that occurred during the 1972 Munich Games, there’s no doubt that adidas are sensitive about coming across as antisemitic, especially since they ended their relationship with Ye over the rapper’s infamous antisemitic comments. The Three Stripes then issues an apology on their Instagram Stories that read: 'Connections continue to be made to the terrible tragedy that occurred at the Munich Olympics due to our recent SL72 campaign. These connections are not meant and we apologise for any upset or distress caused to communities around the world. We made an unintentional mistake.'

They also went on to apologise to their partners in the campaign, including Bella Hadid, for 'any negative impact on them'.

After all this unfolded towards the end of last week, TMZ has reported that Hadid is ‘readying for a legal battle with adidas’. She is currently still signed to the German sportswear brand, however has allegedly taken legal council because ‘she feels they spearheaded a cruel and damaging campaign’.

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