Greece Sues Adidas Over Drone Light Show of its Shoe Above Acropolis
Greece has filed a lawsuit against Adidas following what appeared to be a drone light show promoting the sportswear brand above the ancient Acropolis.
Earlier this month, Adidas allegedly staged a drone display over the ancient monument in Athens, a UNESCO World Heritage site renowned as a symbol of democracy and one of the world’s most visited landmarks.
Photos and videos shared on social media show illuminated drones forming the Adidas logo and the outline of a shoe, with the iconic Acropolis serving as a dramatic backdrop.
Greece’s Ministry of Culture has reacted negatively to a drone light show by popular sports brand #Adidas to promote its brand and appears to have utilized the #Acropolis as a backdrop. Full story: https://t.co/CTSzxFt9iE pic.twitter.com/oVhkYj3yvj
— Greek Reporter (@GreekReporter) May 16, 2025
Adidas’s three-stripe logo, along with the words “Feel Fast” were also reportedly displayed during the drone light show advertising the brand.
Greece has filed a lawsuit against Adidas after authorities in Athens were caught off guard by the brand’s allegedly unexpected drone display. The government says that Adidas’ actions left the country with no choice but to pursue legal action.
Culture Minister Lina Mendoni says that Adidas’ decision to feature a powerful symbol of democracy like the Acropolis in a commercial drone show violates national law. She alleges that the drone flight took place without prior approval from the Ministry of Culture.
“It’s like the Adidas shoe kicking the Acropolis,” Mendoni tells the local Greek radio station Skai, according to Reuters. “A lawsuit has been already filed against anyone responsible.”
However, Adidas has disputed Mendoni’s accusations — with the company claiming that “all required permits were received and adhered to.”
“No image of the Acropolis monument was used by Adidas for advertising or other purposes,” Adidas says in a statement to Reuters.
The lawsuit comes just weeks after Greece rejected a request from director Yorgos Lanthimos to film the final scenes of his upcoming movie Bugonia at the Acropolis. The Culture Ministry denied the request, stating that “the proposed scenes are incompatible with the symbolism… and the values the Acropolis represents.”
Bugonia is Lanthimos’s latest collaboration with actress Emma Stone after previously working on Poor Things and Kinds of Kindness together. The rejected scenes reportedly featured 70 dead bodies staged between two of the Acropolis’s most iconic landmarks: the Propylaea — a complex of Doric entrance buildings — and the Parthenon, the temple completed in 432 B.C. to honor the city’s goddess Athena.
