Adidas apologises to model Bella Hadid for 'distress' caused over Munich Olympics shoe campaign

Adidas has issued a formal apology to Bella Hadid after an advertisement featuring the Palestinian-American model wearing trainers linked to the events of the 1972 Olympics in Munich was taken down, following pressure from pro-Israeli groups.

The German sports and footwear giant expressed regret in a statement that specifically addressed concerns raised by Palestinian-American Hadid about associating her with the 1972 killing of 11 members of the Israeli Olympics team in Munich and one German police officer.

The SL72 campaign featured a relaunch of shoes worn by athletes during that sporting event.

Palestinian gunmen took the Israeli team hostage during the 1972 Games, demanding the release of hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli jails and two left-wing militants held in West German jails.

Adidas called the issue an "unintentional mistake" and apologised to Hadid, the company’s partners, and other celebrities involved in the campaign for "any negative impact" caused to them.

In a statement released to US celebrity website TMZ late on Sunday, Adidas said: "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."

The apology comes after reports emerged on Sunday that Hadid, a staunch pro-Palestinian public figure and critic of Israel’s occupation and wars, was suing the company for "their lack of public accountability".

The model was subject to intense backlash by the Israeli government and pro-Israel figures for featuring in the campaign. Adidas deleted images of Hadid wearing the trainers from their socials and made revisions to the campaign.

Adidas had previously apologised for the campaign in general, stating that the connection between the shoes and the massacre was "completely unintentional".

Throughout her career, Hadid has been subject to several instances of backlash and threats from pro-Israeli figures and groups, due to her outspoken views on the Palestinian cause.

The model has frequently condemned Israel's brutal military campaign in Gaza, which has killed at least 38,090 Palestinians, as of Tuesday.