Fortnum & Mason made to apologise as Paralympians miss out on exclusive party

Fortnum & Mason were forced to apologise after Paralympic sprinter Zac Shaw called them out for treating Olympic and Paralympic athletes differently during the organisation of an exclusive after-party.

- MICHAEL JONES

Members of Team GB and ParalympicsGB both attended a reception at Buckingham Palace on Thursday to celebrate the country’s successes at the Paris 2024 Games this summer, but only the Olympic athletes were issued invitations to a four-hour after-party hosted by the London department store.

Shaw, a visually impaired sprinter who won silver in the mixed 4x100m and bronze in the 100m T12 in Paris, was informed of the party by one of his Olympian friends who had mentioned it at the reception. He said it was “hurtful” and “unfair” that Paralympians were not treated to the same courtesy of an invitation.