Arab Sports Ministers boycott Adidas

Arab youth and sports ministers have announced a boycott of sportswear manufacturer Adidas over the company’s sponsorship of last month’s Jerusalem marathon.

“All companies that have sponsored the marathon of Jerusalem, including Adidas, will be boycotted,” said Prince Nawaf bin Faisal, the Saudi chairman of the Arab Youth and Sports Council of Ministers, after a meeting in Jeddah on Wednesday.

Prince Nawaf told a press conference the ministers had also agreed to organize a separate marathon next year to coincide with the annual Jerusalem event.

Entitled “Jerusalem is Ours”, that event will take place in cities throughout the Arab world next March.

“Israel is trying to misguide public opinion into believing that Jerusalem is its capital and that is a violation of all UN resolutions,” added Nawaf.

About 15,000 runners took part in the March 16 Jerusalem marathon, which sparked controversy because part of the route passed through illegally occupied East Jerusalem, which Israel captured during the 1967 Six-Day War, according to Al Jazeera.