https://arab.news/4kds2
- Activist and runner Grace Tame dropped after sportswear giant鈥檚 review into her social media posts
- Tame recently sparked a backlash after resharing posts calling the killing of two Israeli aides in Washington 鈥榥ot an antisemitic attack but a response to Israeli aggression in Gaza鈥�
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鈥檚 military campaign in Gaza, describing it as 鈥済enocide鈥� 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鈥檚 public statements.
A Nike spokesperson said on Friday: 鈥淲e鈥檝e agreed to part ways. We wish Grace the best as she continues her running journey.鈥�
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: 鈥淓mpathy should have no boundaries.鈥�
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鈥檚 assault on Gaza, rather than a random antisemitic attack.
鈥淓ven though it was undeniably, and by the alleged shooter鈥檚 own admission, a response to the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza, which killed one hundred and seven Palestinians in the last 24 hours alone,鈥� 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 鈥淔**k Murdoch,鈥� a jab at media mogul Rupert Murdoch. In the accompanying Instagram caption, she criticized what she called 鈥渄ynastically wealthy white supremacist corporate oligarchs ruining our planet, funding genocide, war, and destruction.鈥�
In response, Murdoch-owned The Australian accused her of being fixated on Israel and wrote that Nike鈥檚 鈥渇ace-saving statement of a mutual separation with Tame is arguably misplaced in its generosity.鈥�
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.