Adidas Arabia, a regional branch of the German sportswear giant Adidas issued on Monday a written apology after an advertising campaign featuring a former Israeli soldier sparked an online backlash and renewed calls for a boycott of the brand.
The company featured Shalev Biton, who lost his left leg after being wounded while serving in the Israeli army in 2021, in a campaign promoting its Single Shoe service.
"We recognize that an image used in a recent local campaign has raised concerns and strong reactions," Adidas Arabia said in a statement.
"It was never our intent in any way to cause offense, and we apologize to everyone affected by this," it said, adding they were treating the reactions "with the utmost seriousness."
Biton was one of 11 disabled athletes featured on posters displayed at Adidas stores in Israel.
Pro-Palestinian activists criticized the decision to include a former Israeli soldier in a campaign centered on amputees, contrasting the promotion with the thousands of Palestinians who have lost limbs during Israel's war on Gaza.
According to estimates published in May by the World Health Organization (WHO), Gaza has recorded more than 5,000 traumatic limb amputations and over 22,000 major extremity injuries since October 2023. Up to a quarter of those with life-changing injuries were children.
