Fortnum & Mason has issued an apology for a 'failure of communication' to Paralympians who were not invited to a party attended by Olympians, following a reception at Buckingham Palace where Paris medallists met the king. Team GB and ParalympicsGB athletes gathered at the royal residence on Thursday, November 7, to commemorate Britain's summer achievements. However, Paralympic visually-impaired sprinter Zac Shaw expressed his disappointment after discovering that he and his partner, fellow Paralympic sprinter Ali Smith, were not invited to the after-party hosted by the store. Shaw, who won silver in the mixed 4x100m and bronze in the 100m T12 in Paris, highlighted the disparity in treatment between the two sets of athletes. He stated, 'It's just hurtful and happens so frequently, whether it's brands, prize money, or even hosting a Paralympic race at a competition.' Shaw's Instagram post included a screenshot of a Fortnum & Mason spokesperson apologizing and mentioning that a separate event for Paralympians is being planned. The spokesperson added, '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. However, there has been a failure of communication on our part here and we are truly sorry.' Shaw deemed the response 'not good enough at all' and felt it had exacerbated the situation. Fortnum & Mason acknowledged their mistake and reiterated their commitment to hosting a ParalympicsGB celebratory event, expressing their regret for not communicating their plans clearly to the athletes earlier.
Source link: https://www.theguardian.com
