Adidas is under fire after it released a shoe that was launched at the 1972 Munich Olympics that saw Israeli athletes murdered by Palestinian terrorists, while modelling those shoes with someone accused of antisemitism.

“First unveiled in 1972, the introduction of the SL 72 sneaker was the spark plug that initiated a paradigm shift in the realm of running shoes,” Adidas said in a press release.

The shoe was described by Dazed & Confused Magazine as being “first introduced as a runners’ shoe for the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.” The model, Bella Hadid, is part Palestinian and has been a vocal supporter of Palestine, especially since the October 7 attacks.

With a little help from Bella Hadid, A$AP Nast and more, Adidas just relaunched the cult SL 72 shoe – which was first introduced as a runners’ shoe for the 1972 Olympic games in Munich – in a campaign Kenny Germé.

See more: https://t.co/mDXrca6jac pic.twitter.com/bScbgCXtiU

— Dazed (@Dazed) July 15, 2024

Hadid has been accused of antisemitism by groups like Stand With Us, a Jewish advocacy group, which highlighted Hadid’s sharing of misinformation about the conflict.

Following the rescue of four hostages from Gaza, Hadid shared a since-deleted post claiming that hostage Almog Meir Jan was given a cake by his captors to celebrate his birthday. However, this information was taken out of context. According to the Times of Israel, Jan clarified that the cake was only a “cynical” gesture. Officials later confirmed that Jan and the other hostages were abused and malnourished, as reported by the Times.

Hadid has over 60 million Instagram followers.

Some observers, including Jewish author Hen Mazzig, said that he believes the campaign was done deliberately.

“A Palestinian model, notorious for spreading blood libel and vile hate speech against Jews, is now referencing the 1972 Munich Olympics, where Palestinian terrorists slaughtered Israeli athletes,” he wrote on a post to X.

This is not a mistake, it’s by design.

A Palestinian model, notorious for spreading blood libel and vile hate speech against Jews, is now referencing the 1972 Munich Olympics, where Palestinian terrorists slaughtered Israeli athletes.@Adidas, are you threatening Jews? pic.twitter.com/1E2NKEdxlg

— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) July 18, 2024

In a statement to the National Post, an Adidas spokesperson explained that the running shoe in question was designed over 50 years ago and has been “worn in sport and culture around the world.”

“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,” the statement said.

“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.”

The 1972 Munich Olympics saw eight Palestinian terrorists infiltrate the Olympic village, where they took 11 Israeli hostages. All of them were killed.

Those who planned and participated in the operation were later tracked down and killed by Israeli special forces in what was called “Operation Wrath of God.”