Adidas folds to pro-Palestinian pressure

Adidas apologised on Monday for any “offence” it caused by featuring a wounded Israel Defence Forces veteran in its promotional campaign for a service enabling amputee athletes to buy just one running shoe.

“We recognize that an image used in a recent local activation by the local team has raised concerns and strong reactions. It was never our intent to cause offence and we apologise for anyone affected,” the company said in a statement from its global headquarters, apparently distancing itself from the campaign by Adidas in Israel.

“We acknowledge the concerns that have been raised and are taking the feedback seriously,” it said.

Shalev Biton, who lost a leg while serving in the IDF’s Nahal infantry brigade, was one of 10 disabled athletes featured in a series of posters displayed in local Adidas outlets across Israel.

On May 12, 2021, during a conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip dubbed Operation Guardian of the Walls, Biton was injured when an anti-tank missile fired from inside Gaza hit the military vehicle he was in on the Israeli side of the border. Biton was seriously injured, and fellow soldier Staff Sgt. Omer Tabib was killed.