Adidas Addresses Criticism Over Bella Hadid Starring in SL 72 Campaign, Denies It Was Referencing 1972 Munich Massacre (UPDATE)

UPDATED 7/29, 9:45 p.m. ET: Bella Hadid is breaking her silence over the controversial campaign for the return of Adidas’ SL 72 sneaker.

The apparel brand and the 27-year-old Palestinian-American model were criticized for supposedly inciting comparisons to the 1972 Munich Olympics. During the Munich Massacre, 11 Israelis were kidnapped and killed during a terrorist attack carried out by Palestinian militant group Black September.

“For those of you that do not know my heart, I want to make sure you're hearing directly from me about my recent campaign with adidas. I would never knowingly engage with any art or work that is linked to a horrific tragedy of any kind,” Hadid wrote in a statement to her Instagram Story on Monday.

She continued, “In advance of the campaign's release, I had no knowledge of the historical connection to the atrocious events in 1972. I am shocked, I am upset, and I am disappointed in the lack of sensitivity that went into this campaign. Had I been made aware, from the bottom of my heart, I would never have participated. My team should have known, adidas should have known and I should have done more research so that I too would have known and understood, and spoken up. As I always have, and always will, speak up for what I believe to be wrong.”

Hadid noted that the intentions of all parties involved were “to make something positive, and bring people together through art” but said that the lack of understanding of the 1972 tragedy “undermined” their efforts.

Further into her statement, Hadid emphasized that she is a proud Palestinian woman and that the country “is not synonymous with terrorism.”

“I will forever stand by my people of Palestine while continuing to advocate for a world free of antisemitism. Antisemitism has no place in the liberation of the Palestinian people,” she wrote. “I will always stand for peace over violence, any day. Hate has no place here, and I will forever advocate for not only my people, but every person world wide.”

UPDATED 7/22, 4:55 p.m. ET: Adidas has issued an apology to Bella Hadid and other models involved in its SL 72 campaign after announcing it would be "revising" the campaign following criticism over a perceived connection to the 1972 Munich massacre.

"Connections continue to be made to the terrible tragedy that occurred at the Munich Olympics due to our recent SL72 campaign," reads the statement, shared via the Adidas Originals Instagram Story. "These connections are not meant and we apologize for any upset or distress caused to communities around the world. We made an unintentional mistake. We also apologize to our partners, Bella Hadid, A$AP Nast, Jules Koundé, and others, for any negative impact on them and we are revising the campaign."

Adidas via Instagram Stories

Us Weekly reports that Hadid has hired lawyers to hold Adidas responsible "for their lack of public accountability" over the campaign that risked association "with the death and violence of what took place the 1972 Munich Games." According to the source, "Violence is not consistent with Bella's views."

The source added that she's not taking legal action over the removal of the campaign but the failure of Adidas to fully address the historical context of the 1972 Olympics. The backlash was further bolstered by Israel publicly slamming the company for Hadid's, who is half-Palestinian, prominent involvement.

See original story below.

Adidas is reportedly "revising" the campaign for the return of its SL 72 sneaker that featured half-Palestinian model Bella Hadid after critics, including the state of Israel, suggested it was a provocative choice meant to evoke the 1972 Munich massacre.

The sportswear and sneaker brand recently announced it'll be bringing back its SL 72 silhouette this year, in both its SL 72 RS and SL 72 OG incarnations in various colorways. Hadid stars in the campaign alongside ASAP Nast, Jules Koundé, Melissa Bon, and Sabrina Lan.

In a post shared on the official Israel X, formerly Twitter, account, representatives for the country suggested that the campaign's sole purpose was to "highlight the 1972 Munich Olympics." The Munich Massacre was a terrorist attack carried about by the Palestinian militant organization Black September, which kidnapped Israeli athletes in an attempt to negotiate the release of Palestinian prisoners. 11 of the Israelis kidnapped were killed during the incident, as was one West German police officer and five of the kidnappers.

".@Adidas recently launched a new campaign for their shoes to highlight the 1972 Munich Olympics," reads the tweet. "Eleven Israelis were murdered by Palestinian terrorists during the Munich Olympics. Guess who the face of their campaign is? Bella Hadid, a half-Palestinian model who has a history of spreading antisemitism and calling for violence against Israelis and Jews. She and her father frequently promote blood libels and antisemitic conspiracies against Jews."

Israel on Twitter.

In a statement, Adidas said it is "revising" the campaign in response to the criticism.

"The Adidas Originals SL72 campaign unites a broad range of partners to celebrate our lightweight running shoe, designed more than 50 years ago and worn in sport and culture around the world," Adidas said in a statement shared with Complex. "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. As a result we are revising the remainder of the campaign. 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."

While Adidas did not directly mention that the SL 72 was introduced for the Munich Olympics in 1972, the decision to feature Hadid has drawn criticism from pro-Israel social media users.

Hadid has not yet commented on the criticism.

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