Adidas apologizes for campaign featuring disabled IDF soldier following calls to boycott

German sportswear giant Adidas has issued an apology following backlash and international calls for a boycott of the company over a local marketing campaign in Israel.

The promotion featured Shalev Biton, a disabled veteran and former soldier in the Israel Defense Forces who lost his leg during the May 2021 conflict in Gaza, to highlight the company’s single shoe service.

The initiative, which was restricted to local Israeli outlets rather than running globally, included posters and videos showcasing disabled athletes who require only one shoe due to amputations. Biton, who served in the Nahal Brigade’s Battalion 931, was seriously wounded in May 2021, during Operation Guardian of the Walls, when an anti-tank missile fired from Gaza struck his military vehicle on the Israeli side of the border.

Following extensive rehabilitation, he returned to running with a prosthetic limb.

The Adidas campaign quickly drew sharp criticism and coordinated boycott calls across social media platforms from pro-Palestinian activists and international figures, including Spanish actor Javier Bardem. Critics pointed to the severe humanitarian crisis and high number of amputees in Gaza resulting from ongoing hostilities, arguing that featuring an Israeli military veteran was insensitive.

Adidas says campaign was not intended to cause offense

In a statement addressing the controversy, Adidas’s global headquarters distanced itself from the regional initiative and apologized for any distress caused. The company stated that “it was never our intent to cause offense and we apologize for anyone affected.”

The company emphasized that the single shoe service was designed to promote inclusion for people with limb differences, having launched initially in Europe in partnership with disability groups, and noted that the program expands across various international regions, including the Middle East. Adidas added that it takes the feedback seriously and will “continue to listen, learn, and work to ensure that our actions reflect the inclusive values we stand for.”

Biton describes sustained online harassment, turns to supporters for backing

Biton took to social media to address the intense wave of hostility directed at him online.

Writing to his Instagram followers, Biton posted that he had “been hit by an absolutely insane wave of hatred and reports from all over the world,” noting that “some of the biggest pro-Palestinian pages in the world, with millions of followers and millions of likes and shares, have been posting about me again and again, and the abuse and reports just don’t stop.”

Expressing gratitude to his supporters, Biton urged them to help strengthen his online space against the campaign of mass reporting and harassment, writing, “I want to feel that you’re here with me.”