Bella Hadid breaks silence on Adidas Olympic shoe controversy and declares ignorance

Bella Hadid speaks out on the huge controversy surrounding its Adidas advertising campaign for a shoe for the Munich Olympics… and says it didn’t do its homework.

The model reacted to last week’s backlash in a lengthy statement posted to social media on Monday … saying she had no idea the 1972 Munich Olympics included a famous tragedy in which 11 Israeli athletes were taken hostage and killed by Palestinian terrorists.

Bella explains that she was unaware of the historical connection between the 1972 Olympics and Adidas shoes, adding: “I am shocked, upset and disappointed by the lack of sensitivity that went into this campaign.”

Plus, Bella says she never would have participated in the ad campaign if she’d known about the Munich Massacre… and says her team or Adidas should have known. She admits… she should have done her own research, too.

Bella adds… “While everyone’s intentions were to do something positive and bring people together through art, the lack of collective understanding from all parties undermined the process.”

As you may know, Adidas has been under fire for using Bella as the face of its retro sneakers, with the American Jewish Committee saying the footwear giant made a “serious mistake” in choosing “an openly anti-Israel model to commemorate these dark Olympics.”

Bella says she does not believe in hate in any form, including anti-Semitism, adding… “Palestine is not synonymous with terrorism and this campaign unintentionally highlighted an event that does not represent who we are.”