Adidas apologised on Monday for the "offence" caused by an Israel-only advertising campaign featuring Shalev Biton, a former Israeli army soldier who lost a leg in a 2021 attack from Gaza, after the promotion triggered boycott calls from pro-Palestinian activists.
Biton, who served in the Israeli army's Nahal Brigade, was wounded in May 2021 when an anti-tank missile allegedly fired from Gaza struck his military vehicle near the border during that year's Israel-Gaza conflict, killing a fellow soldier and leading to the amputation of his left leg, according to The Times of Israel and Israel Hayom.
He has since returned to running with a prosthetic limb.
The campaign promoted Adidas's Single Shoe service, launched in Europe in January this year, which allows customers who need only one shoe — including amputees — to buy it individually at half the price of a pair.
Biton featured alongside ten other disabled athletes on posters displayed only at Adidas stores in Israel, and was not part of the company's global campaign, The Jewish Chronicle reported.
Within days, his involvement drew fierce criticism online, amplified by figures including Spanish actor Javier Bardem, who accused Adidas of "helping child killers get back on their feet" and shared posts comparing Biton to child amputees in Gaza.
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Boycott campaigners argued the advertisement ignored the scale of amputations among Palestinians, with the World Health Organisation estimating more than 5,000 limb amputations in Gaza since October 2023, according to Morocco World News.
In a statement from its global headquarters, Adidas said an image used in "a recent local activation" had "raised concerns and strong reactions," adding it was "never our intent to cause offense."
Biton, in an Instagram post, said the episode was "much bigger than me," describing it as being "about Israel" and "about our soldiers."
The row is the latest to entangle Adidas in Middle East-related controversy.
The company apologised in July 2024 over the reissue of its 1972 Munich Olympics trainer featuring Palestinian-American model Bella Hadid, and parted ways with rapper Kanye West's Yeezy line in 2022 following his antisemitic remarks.
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