Bella Hadid breaks silence on Adidas ad linked to 1972 Munich Olympics

Model Bella Hadid issued a statement after starring in a controversial Adidas campaign that the sportswear company said had an “unintentional” connection to a bloody terrorist attack.

“I am shocked, I am upset, and I am disappointed in the lack of sensitivity that went into this campaign,” the U.S.-born Hadid said in a statement shared on her Instagram story on Monday evening.

The ad campaign for Adidas’ new retro sneakers, called the SL72s, was a nod to the 1972 Munich Olympics. Released earlier in July, the advertisement featured Hadid holding a bouquet of flowers while wearing the shoes, which originally debuted in 1972 for the Munich Olympics.

But that year’s games are widely known for the dark tragedy that took place in Munich’s Olympic Village: a massacre committed by a Palestinian group called Black September, who killed 11 Israeli athletes and one German police officer on Sept. 5, 1972.

Backlash in response to the Adidas campaign was immediate, as were attacks directed against Hadid, who is half Palestinian and has advocated for Palestinian rights and donated money to relief efforts in the Gaza Strip. Hadid said she was not aware of the connection to the historical events of the 1972 Munich Olympics, and that she would not have taken part in the campaign had she known.

“I would never knowingly engage with any art or work that is linked to a horrific tragedy of any kind,” said the 27-year-old Hadid, who has also worked as the face of Dior.

“In advance of the campaign release, I had no knowledge of the historical connection to the atrocious events in 1972 … Had I been made aware, from the bottom of my heart, I would never have participated.”

“My team should have known,” she added. “Adidas should have known and I should have done more research so that I too would have known and understood, and spoken up.”

On July 19, Adidas issued a statement apologizing for the ad and said it was “revising the remainder of the campaign.”

“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 company said.

“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,” it added. Social media posts of the ad campaign featuring Hadid were removed, according to The Guardian.

Fierce criticism of the campaign came from the Israeli government, whose official account on X expressed opposition to Hadid being the “face of their [Adidas’] campaign,” and from the American…