Fortnum & Mason party snub was hurtful, Paralympian says

Zac Shaw with his partner and fellow Paralympic sprinter, Ali Smith, at Thursday's reception at Buckingham Palace

Paralympians have criticised the decision by Fortnum & Mason to hold an event for Olympians but neglect to invite any Paralympic athletes.

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, a Paralympic visually impaired sprinter, 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, who won silver in the mixed 4x100m and bronze in the 100m T12 in Paris, 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, he decided to post publicly on X.

Once his post gained traction, he said he was messaged by representatives of the London upmarket department store.

Paralympians at the joint Buckingham Palace event were asked to wear sports tracksuits but their Team GB colleagues were reportedly issued new suits

Fortnum & Mason then sent Smith 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 could not have fitted everyone in at the same time."

But Shaw said the response appeared "reactionary" and "very much reads as an excuse".

"It doesn't seem like it was even thought of until there was a backlash."

He added: "If they had wanted to do an event for us, we would have known about it before. And if they really wanted us there, the venue could have been bigger."

Shaw also said that hosting a separate event at a later date did not take into account the difficulty for many disabled athletes in travelling to London.

"Accessibility is difficult for people with disabilities and it’s just ignorant and upsetting that they even had the thought to do it after.

"And in this situation, even if you only have room for a certain number of athletes, why would you not prioritise the ones with accessibility needs?"

Shaw only found about about the event when Team GB colleagues offered him a lift

Shaw said it was a symptom of a "wider issue" in how disabled athletes are treated differently in sport.

"Why is it Team GB and Paralympics GB? Why don't we compete under the same name like Team France did at the Olympics/Paralympics? And why were we at Buckingham Palace in tracksuits, when the Olympians were provided suits?"

He said Paralympians were instructed to wear their tracksuits and trainers to the reception hosted by the King, while Team GB athletes were given "fresh suits".

"And that just made the Buckingham Palace experience feel a bit strange," he added.

When he queried the request and said he would like to wear a suit, he was met with silence, he said.

"You have situations like this so frequently, whether it's brands or funding," he continued.

"The Paralympics are amazing but they happen once every four years and in between brands don't show the same support to disabled athletes, which speaks volumes about the culture."

Archie Atkinson said lots of Paralympic athletes feel "segregated" from the Olympic team by being under the separate name of Paralympic GB

Archie Atkinson, who won a silver in cycling for Paralympics GB in Paris, said he was told suits were not given to the Paralympic squad to meet the King for "environmental reasons".

The 20-year-old said he told the head of Paralympics GB that he thought it was "disrespectful" having Paralympic athletes go to Buckingham Palace in a tracksuit "making us stand out and feel inferior to the Olympic athletes were were dressed smartly".

"Lots of athletes complained or joined in with wearing suits to say not gonna be made to look lower then the Olympic athletes," he told the BBC.

He said he wore a suit to meet the King and later snuck into the Fortnum & Masons party with some of his friends on the Team GB team, who he said they felt it was "shocking" there was no party for Paralympic athletes.

In a statement, Fortnum & Mason said: "We entered into this with good intentions but recognise that we have made a mistake here for which we fully apologise.

"We have been planning for, and of course will be honoured to host, a ParalympicsGB celebratory event at Fortnum’s and an invitation to do that has been made, but we do understand the hurt we have caused by not making our plans clear to the athletes earlier."

But Shaw said it was unlikely he would attend such an event.

"The day's been and gone," he said.

"It doesn't feel right that this has come on by pity and like I said it's not easy for people with disabilities to travel and I think it's unfair they'd even ask us to do that."

The British Olympic Association and The British Paralympic Association have been approached for comment.