International sportswear brand Adidas has apologised to its partners, including Palestinian-American supermodel Bella Hadid, after she threatened legal action over an ad campaign inspired by the 1972 Munich Olympics.
“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,” an Adidas representative told TMZ in a statement.
Extending an apology to all partners, including Hadid, for the negative effect the campaign may have on their careers, it added: “We made an unintentional mistake. We also apologise to our partners, Bella Hadid, A$AP Nast, Jules Koundé, and others, for any negative impact on them and we are revising the campaign.”
Bella Hadid hired legal counsel to address what she saw as Adidas’ failure to publicly account for a campaign potentially linked to the violent events of the 1972 Olympics. The campaign had faced criticism from Israel, which condemned both the campaign and Hadid’s involvement due to her Palestinian heritage.