Team GB and Paralympics GB medallists attended a reception at Buckingham Palace on Thursday, but Paralympians were not invited to an after-party hosted by the luxury department store. Zac Shaw, , called it "hurtful" and said it was part of a "wider issue" in how disabled athletes are treated. Fortnum & Mason has apologised for the "mistake" and said a separate Paralympics event is being organised.
"It's a sad reality that we always have to fight for equality," Shaw, 29, said. "The thing that hurt the most was that we were both at the palace at the same time so it wasn’t a case of us being at different locations. It was one event and we didn’t get invited.
" Shaw, , said he only realised after one of his friends in Team GB asked if he needed a lift to the after-party, but after a trawl of his emails, Shaw and his partner Ali Smith - also a Paralympic sprinter - did not find an invite. After contacting Fortnum & Mason twice in a 24 hour period and not receiving a response, . Once his post gained traction, he said he was messaged by representatives of the London upmarket department store.
Fortnum & Mason sent Smith then a private message, saying that there was a "separate reception for Paralympians in the works" which would be announced soon. The store apologised for the "failure of communication". The message read: "We are really sorry that we could not do both of the planned parties together, which would have been our preference, but we are restricted on space and simply co.
