The #AuxadiWestChallenge has come to an end and, as a final celebration, we held a very special event. On 14 April, we held a digital round table with Diego Méntrida (the triathlete who made a gesture of sportsmanship that went viral) and presented Diego with the donation for the West Syndrome Foundation, the charity close to his heart.

Diego’s brother suffers from West Syndrome, and he explained: “There was no better way to channel the attention I was getting than by helping my brother.” In front of more than 300 Auxadi colleagues, Diego Méntrida gave a first-person account of the video that made him famous and how he lived at the time.

Fundación Síndrome de West

The round table event was moderated by Raúl Respaldiza, CEO of Zertior, and was attended by Víctor Salamanca, CEO of Auxadi, who opened the meeting by explaining what led Auxadi to collaborate with Diego Méntrida, and detailed some Auxadi’s charitable works, like the Solidarity Indoor Football Tournament and the other pro bono initiatives and projects Auxadi is involved with.

As Víctor Salamanca explained, “For Auxadi, helping through sport is something natural. Sport is a very powerful tool for fellowship and transmission of values, and it also allows us to give back to society.” Diego Méntrida added his thoughts as a high-performance athlete: “One of the most important things sport offers is that it allows you to improve yourself day by day – but, above all, it’s a way of connecting with people, training with friends, having a good time and learning from each other.”

It was precisely this spirit of camaraderie that motivated the #AuxadiWestChallenge, an event through which Auxadi’s teams competed to lead a healthier lifestyle. Over the course of two weeks, we used the Google Fit app to record exercise, while learning more about West Syndrome Foundation, and creating awareness about the syndrome and the Foundation’s work.

Auxadi are proud to support Diego Méntrida and The West Syndrome Foundation.

Diego Mentrida, Víctor Salamanca and Raúl Respaldiza