started · updated
Adidas apologizes after Israeli ad campaign featuring former soldier sparks boycott calls
Adidas has issued apologies following intense backlash and calls for a boycott over an advertising campaign in Israel. The campaign promoted the company’s ‘Single Shoe Service’—an initiative allowing amputees to purchase one shoe at half the price—and featured Shalev Biton, a former Israel Defense Forces soldier who lost his leg in 2021.
Pro-Palestinian activists and various public figures, including Spanish actor Javier Bardem, criticized the choice of Biton as a campaign face. Critics argued that featuring a former Israeli soldier was insensitive given the high number of Palestinians, including many children, who have suffered traumatic amputations in Gaza since October 2023. According to World Health Organization estimates, over 5,000 limb amputations have been recorded in Gaza during this period.
Adidas clarified that the promotion was a local activation by its Israeli team and not part of a global campaign. The company stated it did not intend to cause offense and is taking the feedback seriously to ensure its actions align with its commitment to inclusion.
Entities
Adidas · Gaza · Israel Defense Forces · Javier Bardem · Shalev Biton · Stephanie Westbrook · World Health Organization
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 13 SOURCES] The Single Shoe Service allows customers with limb differences to purchase one shoe at half the price of a pair. n1info.ba · www.gazetebirlik.com · www.risalehaber.com · vinnews.com · mediaindonesia.com · +8 more
- [● 10 SOURCES] Spanish actor Javier Bardem has called for a boycott of Adidas. makanbola.com · n1info.ba · www.gazetebirlik.com · www.risalehaber.com · mediaindonesia.com · +5 more
- [● 12 SOURCES] Adidas issued an apology following backlash over an advertising campaign featuring a former Israeli soldier. makanbola.com · n1info.ba · www.gazetebirlik.com · www.risalehaber.com · vinnews.com · +7 more
- [● 11 SOURCES] More than 5,000 traumatic amputations have been recorded in Gaza since October 2023. makanbola.com · n1info.ba · www.gazetebirlik.com · www.risalehaber.com · mediaindonesia.com · +6 more
- [● 13 SOURCES] Shalev Biton is a former Israel Defense Forces soldier who lost a leg in 2021. makanbola.com · n1info.ba · www.gazetebirlik.com · www.risalehaber.com · vinnews.com · +8 more
- [● 3 SOURCES] PACBI coordinator Stephanie Westbrook described the campaign as an insult to Palestinians. www.gazetebirlik.com · www.risalehaber.com · jewishreview.co.il
- [● 3 SOURCES] Adidas previously withdrew a campaign featuring Bella Hadid in 2024. n1info.ba · radiosarajevo.ba · www.yenisafak.com
- [● 9 SOURCES] The campaign featuring Shalev Biton was a local activation by the Israeli team and not part of a global campaign. vinnews.com · mediaindonesia.com · makanbola.com · www.cnbce.com · worldisraelnews.com · +4 more