‘UNINTENTIONAL MISTAKE’

Adidas Apologizes Again for Munich Olympics Shoe Ad With Bella Hadid

The German footwear company said it is sorry for “any upset or distressed caused” over the campaign.

Adidas apologized Sunday a second time for its advertising campaign featuring supermodel Bella Hadid. The German shoe company has faced backlash over the ad, created for the relaunch of the SL72 retro sneaker from the 1972 Munich Olympics, where a Palestinian militant group killed 11 Israeli athletes and a German police officer. Hadid, whose father is Palestinian, has publicly voiced support for Palestinian statehood. “Connections continue to be made to the terrible tragedy that occurred at the Munich Olympics due to our recent SL72 campaign,” Adidas said in a statement, according to TMZ. “These connections are not meant and we apologize for any upset or distress caused to communities around the world. We made an unintentional mistake.” The company apologized directly to “our partners,” including Hadid, A$AP Nast, Jules Koundé, “and others, for any negative impact on them and we are revising the campaign.” According to TMZ, Hadid has retained legal counsel as a result of the campaign. Adidas released an apology last week for “any upset or distress caused” by the ad.