Adidas faces anti-Israel backlash for featuring IDF veteran

International sporting goods company Adidas is facing an online backlash from anti-Israel activists after featuring an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) veteran who lost part of his leg in an Israeli advertising campaign promoting the sale of single athletic shoes.

Shalev Biton lost his left foot and part of his lower leg during his IDF service in May 2021, when an anti-tank missile fired from inside the Gaza Strip hit a vehicle he was standing next to inside Israeli territory.

The attack killed one of Biton’s fellow soldiers and severely wounded him, more than two years before the Hamas massacre of Oct. 7, 2023, that launched the Swords of Iron War.

Biton recovered from his wounds and has since taken up long-distance running using a prosthetic limb. However, he still needed a conventional running shoe for his right foot and, like others who require only one shoe, faced the frustration of having to purchase a pair when he could use only one.

Adidas launched a program offering consumers the option to purchase a single athletic shoe for those who need only one due to physical or medical conditions.

To promote the program, Adidas hired several athletes who use only one shoe to demonstrate the service for potential customers, including Biton.

The Adidas Single Shoe service was first made available to consumers in Europe in January and expanded to the Middle East several months later.

Biton was one of 10 disabled athletes featured in an advertising campaign by Adidas’ Israeli franchise. The posters and other materials used in the Israeli campaign were not part of the company’s global advertising campaign.

This week, Biton posted a video on his social media platforms telling his followers that he had participated in the campaign. The post subsequently drew criticism from anti-Israel activists, who shared the video and called for a boycott of Adidas.

Among those demanding that Adidas face consequences are Spanish actor Javier Bardem and Palestinian activist Abeer Khatib, who told his 300,000 followers on 𝕏 that he is “burning every Adidas product I own.”

The Eye on Palestine activist group also declared in a post on 𝕏 that Adidas “has sparked a wave of anger and sharp criticism, given that it highlights a soldier belonging to the occupation army – which is responsible for causing the highest percentage of child amputees in the world – while completely ignoring the tragedy of Palestinian victims who have lost their limbs as a result of the ongoing aggression.”

Biton responded to the criticism in a post on Instagram, telling his followers, “At the moment I am getting a lot more hate than love…I want to feel that you are here with me.”

Adidas also issued a statement addressing the backlash, saying, “We are aware that interpretations in recent days have misrepresented the purpose of the service. It is important to clarify that this is a global initiative intended to expand choice and accessibility for athletes and consumers around the world.”