AH, ADIDAS, what a performance! It’s as if they’ve stumbled into the murky depths of corporate faux pas.

In a stunning leap backward, the sportswear giant decided to “revise” their Olympic trainer campaign starring Bella Hadid after backlash from pro-Israeli supporters. Apparently, being Palestinian is enough to ignite a firestorm these days.

The controversy began with Adidas relaunching their SL72 trainers, originally designed for the ‘72 Munich Olympics – a games marred by the tragic massacre of 11 Israeli athletes. Enter Bella Hadid, Palestinian-American supermodel, chosen to front the campaign. Cue the outrage. Israeli government accounts and their supporters linked Hadid to the decades-old atrocities simply because of her heritage.

What does Adidas do? It apologises for causing “upset and distress” and removes Hadid from the campaign—though her images still appear on their U.S. website. The damage, however, is done.

Meanwhile, other campaign stars like footballer Jules Koundé and rapper A$AP Nast remain untouched and unquestioned. If this isn’t a masterclass in selective racism, what is?

Adidas has effectively made a supermodel with Palestinian heritage an unwitting mascot for terrorism. Forget that she was born a quarter-century after the Munich tragedy, logic is merely a spectator in this absurd theatre.

This isn’t just a faux pas, it’s a full-blown face-plant into racial discrimination, a slapstick tragedy played out on the global stage.

As social media rightly points out, this isn’t just an oversight, it’s a blatant act of racism. Adidas might as well have shouted it from the rooftops.

As calls for a boycott echo through social media, one must wonder – will Adidas ever lace up their sneakers and move forward, or are they destined to keep tripping over their own laces? Stay tuned. – July 22, 2024.