Adidas faces boycott calls over campaign featuring former Israeli soldier

German sportswear company Adidas is facing calls for a boycott after featuring a former Israeli soldier in an advertising campaign promoting its single-shoe service for amputees.

The advertisement shows Shalev Biton trying on a shoe at an Adidas store in Israel before running outdoors. Biton lost a leg after being wounded while serving in the Israeli military during the 11-day conflict in Gaza in 2021.

The campaign has drawn sharp criticism from Palestinian rights groups and activists, who described the choice of ambassador as deeply insensitive towards Palestinians killed or permanently injured in Israeli attacks.

Stephanie Westbrook, a sports boycott campaigns coordinator with the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, said the advertisement went beyond being merely “tone-deaf” and amounted to an affront to Palestinians who had lost relatives and limbs.

PACBI is a founding member of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.

Westbrook argued that the campaign risked normalising Israel’s conduct towards Palestinians by presenting a former soldier primarily through the story of his recovery while overlooking the experiences of Palestinian victims.

Adidas did not respond to a request for comment on the controversy.

The criticism has also focused on the contrast between the advertisement and conditions faced by amputees in Gaza. The World Health Organization estimates that between 5,000 and 6,000 people in the territory had undergone amputations by early October 2025. They are among an estimated 42,000 Palestinians who sustained life-altering injuries during two years of conflict.

Humanitarian conditions in Gaza remain severe nearly a year after Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement, with restrictions on the entry of aid, medicines and prosthetic limbs continuing to affect patients.

Rights campaigners say Israel’s military offensive caused extensive damage to Gaza’s healthcare facilities, leaving injured Palestinians with limited access to treatment, rehabilitation and prosthetic support.

Children account for about a quarter of amputations recorded in Gaza during the past two years, according to the International Rescue Committee. The organisation has said Gaza has the world’s highest number of child amputees per capita.

The campaign has also prompted comparisons with the experiences of Palestinian sportspeople. More than 1,000 athletes have reportedly been killed during the war, while hundreds of aspiring footballers have lost limbs. Some survivors have formed amputee football teams as they attempt to rebuild their lives through sport.

Spanish actor and pro-Palestine campaigner Javier Bardem shared material supporting the boycott on social media. US-Palestinian author Susan Abulhawa and Pakistani writer Fatima Bhutto were also among those urging consumers to stop buying Adidas products.

The United Nations Children’s Fund has estimated that 42,000 Palestinians have suffered life-changing injuries since the war began in October 2023, including approximately 11,000 children.