Nike cuts ties with Australian brand ambassador over pro-Palestinian posts

Arab News

2 days ago

LONDON: Nike has ended its partnership with Australian brand ambassador Grace Tame after the activist shared several pro-Palestinian posts on social media.
Tame, a long-distance runner and high-profile advocate for survivors of sexual assault, had used her platform in recent months to speak out against Israel's military campaign in Gaza, describing it as 'genocide' and calling for a ceasefire.
The American sportswear giant confirmed the decision over the weekend, following growing speculation after it launched a review of Tame's public statements.
A Nike spokesperson said on Friday: 'We've agreed to part ways. We wish Grace the best as she continues her running journey.'
Tame signed a $100,000 ambassadorial deal with Nike in January, marking a return to the brand after a previous collaboration four years ago.
Since the start of the conflict in Gaza in October 2023, Tame has shared posts and attended events expressing solidarity with Palestinians.
In November, she signed a global ceasefire petition organized by Oxfam. In May, she gave a speech at an event hosted by the Australian Palestine Advocacy Network, where she said: 'Empathy should have no boundaries.'
Tame also revealed she had been asked not to speak about the war at other public engagements.
Her increasingly vocal advocacy drew criticism from pro-Israel commentators in Australia, some of whom accused her of sharing inflammatory and antisemitic content.
In May, Tame reposted a statement from Palestinian writer Mohammed El-Kurd criticizing Western media coverage of the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy aides in Washington.
She quoted the post, which argued the incident was a direct response to Israel's assault on Gaza, rather than a random antisemitic attack.
'Even though it was undeniably, and by the alleged shooter's own admission, a response to the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza, which killed one hundred and seven Palestinians in the last 24 hours alone,' she reposted to her 260,000 followers.
Tame, no stranger to controversy, has long been a divisive figure in Australian public life.
Earlier this year, she appeared at a public event with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wearing a T-shirt that read 'F**k Murdoch,' a jab at media mogul Rupert Murdoch. In the accompanying Instagram caption, she criticized what she called 'dynastically wealthy white supremacist corporate oligarchs ruining our planet, funding genocide, war, and destruction.'
In response, Murdoch-owned The Australian accused her of being fixated on Israel and wrote that Nike's 'face-saving statement of a mutual separation with Tame is arguably misplaced in its generosity.'
The newspaper also noted that all Nike stores in Australia are operated by Fox Group, an Israeli company listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, adding another layer to the fallout.