Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/"Highlighting Traditional Sports and showcasing Underrepresented Athletes on Wikimedia" (ID: 22895378)
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Applicant Details
[edit]- Main Wikimedia username. (required)
Abdullahalaba
- Organization
N/A
- If you are a group or organization leader, board member, president, executive director, or staff member at any Wikimedia group, affiliate, or Wikimedia Foundation, you are required to self-identify and present all roles. (required)
N/A
- Describe all relevant roles with the name of the group or organization and description of the role. (required)
Main Proposal
[edit]- 1. Please state the title of your proposal. This will also be the Meta-Wiki page title.
"Highlighting Traditional Sports and showcasing Underrepresented Athletes on Wikimedia"
- 2. and 3. Proposed start and end dates for the proposal.
2025-02-08 - 2025-04-12
- 4. Where will this proposal be implemented? (required)
Nigeria
- 5. Are your activities part of a Wikimedia movement campaign, project, or event? If so, please select the relevant project or campaign. (required)
Not applicable
- 6. What is the change you are trying to bring? What are the main challenges or problems you are trying to solve? Describe this change or challenges, as well as main approaches to achieve it. (required)
Nigeria is home to a vast array of games, sports, and cultural recreational activities that remain largely unknown and overlooked. This lack of recognition is often rooted in systemic and racial biases, leading to the significant underrepresentation of professional athletes and sportspeople and limiting their visibility. To address this, our project is focused on decolonizing the knowledge surrounding Nigeria’s sports scene.
Despite its immense potential and rapid growth, the Nigerian sports sector remains underutilized and poorly represented. Existing content often fails to capture the diversity and richness of the country’s sporting heritage. This initiative seeks to bridge that gap by highlighting a wide range of sporting activities, amplifying the voices of marginalized athletes, and showcasing the cultural significance of Nigerian sports and recreational practices.
By bringing attention to lesser-known sports and underrepresented athletes, this project aims to foster inclusivity and promote a more accurate understanding of Nigeria’s sporting heritage. Our goal is to reduce the content gap and ensure that Nigeria’s sports scene gains the recognition and appreciation it deserves.
Key areas of focus include:
1. Traditional Nigerian Sports Nigeria’s cultural heritage is rich with traditional sports like Dambe (traditional boxing), Kokawa (wrestling), and Ayo (a traditional board game). Documenting the history, rules, and notable practitioners of these sports would enhance the representation of Nigerian sports culture.
2. Underrepresented Athletes
Many Nigerian athletes, particularly those in less prominent sports, lack comprehensive documentation of their achievements. Highlighting their contributions can provide them with the recognition they deserve.
3. Emerging Sports
Nigeria’s sports landscape is evolving, with growing participation in areas such as para-sports, mixed martial arts, and extreme sports. Showcasing these emerging disciplines can diversify the representation of Nigerian sports.
4. Female Athletes
While male athletes often receive more recognition, there is a pressing need to spotlight female athletes and their accomplishments. Doing so helps address gender disparities and inspires future generations.
5. Regional and Indigenous Sports
Nigeria’s diverse ethnic groups bring unique sporting traditions that reflect the country’s cultural diversity. Documenting these regional and indigenous sports offers valuable insights into Nigeria’s rich heritage.
Through this effort, we aim to create a more inclusive and accurate representation of Nigeria’s sports scene on platforms like Wikipedia, ensuring that its athletes and sports gain the visibility they deserve while preserving the nation’s sporting legacy. Here are some examples of Nigerian female athletes who are underrepresented on Wikimedia:
Chioma Ajunwa-Opara: Nigeria's first Olympic gold medalist in an individual event, Chioma made history by winning the women’s long jump at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Blessing Okagbare: A celebrated track and field athlete, Blessing has earned numerous medals in sprints at the Olympics, World Championships, and Commonwealth Games.
Perpetua Nkwocha: Widely regarded as one of Africa’s greatest female footballers, Perpetua represented Nigeria’s national team, the Super Falcons, and won multiple African Women’s Championships while participating in several FIFA Women’s World Cups.
Oyinlomo Quadre: A promising talent in Nigerian tennis, Oyinlomo has achieved success at the junior level and is recognized as one of Africa’s brightest young tennis stars.
Ngozi Okobi: A skilled football midfielder, Ngozi has represented Nigeria in multiple FIFA Women’s World Cups and Olympic Games, excelling both at the club and national level.
These examples represent only a fraction of the many remarkable Nigerian female athletes who have achieved significant milestones across various sports but remain underrepresented.
Creating Wikipedia articles for these athletes is a vital step toward celebrating their achievements and ensuring their legacies are preserved. The project is designed to implement several key strategies to achieve its goals:
1. Physical and Virtual Trainings: Participants will undergo training sessions to develop the skills necessary for creating and enhancing high-quality articles. Focus will be placed on improving existing content related to Nigerian sports and games, often lacking in readability and visual appeal. New editors will contribute actively, demonstrating their learning and editing capabilities. Contributions will be closely monitored to ensure accuracy and prevent vandalism. Weekly sessions will provide ongoing support and review the quality of submissions.
2. Edit-a-thon: Experienced editors will be tasked with creating new articles on Nigerian sports and related topics. The process will be closely supervised to maintain high standards and prevent misuse.
3. Wiki Loves Women in Sport: This initiative aims to address Wikipedia's gender gap by creating articles about notable Nigerian women in sports and games, highlighting their contributions.
4. Feedback Mechanism: A Google Form survey will gather participants’ insights and experiences, which will be used to evaluate the project’s effectiveness and guide future improvements.
By employing these strategies, the project seeks to significantly improve the quality and quantity of Nigerian sports-related content on Wikipedia while fostering active community participation.
Community Engagement
To build a sustainable sports-focused community in Nigeria:
A WhatsApp group will be established to enable ongoing interaction, knowledge sharing, and support among participants.
Comprehensive training will cover creating Wikipedia accounts, understanding content policies, editing principles, creating new articles, and making minor edits. This training will equip participants with the tools needed to contribute effectively to various Wikimedia projects.
Monitoring and Support
The Outreach Dashboard will be utilized to track contributions and provide one-on-one support to both offline and online editors. This tool ensures progress is monitored, offering tailored assistance to foster engagement and ensure meaningful participation.
Through these efforts, the project aims to enrich Nigerian-related sports content on Wikipedia, empower a community of young editors, and contribute to the sustainability and growth of the sports community in Nigeria.
- 7. What are the planned activities? (required) Please provide a list of main activities. You can also add a link to the public page for your project where details about your project can be found. Alternatively, you can upload a timeline document. When the activities include partnerships, include details about your partners and planned partnerships.
The project will take place over two months, consisting of six sessions designed to improve the representation of sports and games in Nigeria on Wikimedia platforms:
1. Two-Day In-Person Workshop The project will begin with a two-day in-person workshop, providing participants with a strong foundation in using Wikipedia, Wikidata, and Wikimedia Commons. Led by three facilitators, the sessions will cover notability guidelines, sourcing reliable references, and writing objectively to maintain high content quality and prevent vandalism.
2. Two Online Reinforcement Training Sessions
Following the workshop, participants will join two online training sessions aimed at strengthening their editing skills. A facilitator will guide them through advanced techniques for editing Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, addressing any questions and enhancing their abilities.
3. Edit-a-thon
After the training phase, participants will have a month to apply their knowledge in an edit-a-thon. During this period, they will contribute articles on Nigerian sports and games to Wikipedia, putting their new skills into action.
4. Review and Award Presentation
At the conclusion of the edit-a-thon, a review session will be held over a week to evaluate participants’ contributions. Winners will be selected based on the quality and quantity of their edits and will receive gift vouchers as recognition for their efforts.
These sessions are designed to equip participants with the necessary skills and confidence to contribute effectively to Wikimedia platforms. By doing so, the project aims to enhance the coverage and representation of Nigerian sports and games while fostering a community of skilled contributors.
- 8. Describe your team. Please provide their roles, Wikimedia Usernames and other details. (required) Include more details of the team, including their roles, usernames, Wikimedia group, and whether they are salaried, volunteers, consultants/contractors, etc. Team members involved in the grant application need to be aware of their involvement in the project.
Abdullahalaba (Project Lead, Organizer, and Facilitator): Abdullahalaba brings extensive experience and expertise to his role as the project lead, particularly in managing and facilitating Wikimedia initiatives. With a strong background as a Wikimedia Project Facilitator, he has been instrumental in growing the Wikimedia community. Notably, he led the Wikimedia promotion project at Lead City University, where his efforts resulted in the retention of over 50 editors who made significant contributions to Wikimedia platforms. During the Wikimedia Promotion event in Akure, Abdullahalaba delivered impactful sessions that equipped participants with essential skills for navigating and editing Wikidata items. His proficiency as a skilled trainer was evident in his ability to guide participants in making meaningful contributions to Wikimedia projects. Abdullahalaba’s commitment to the Wikimedia movement extends to a wide range of initiatives, including Wiki Loves Library, Wikimedia Promotion in Lagos, Afrosport Nigeria, Wiki Climate Campus Tour, Afrocreatives Wikiprojects, and Wiki for Human Rights. His active participation and significant contributions to these projects have enriched the Wikimedia community and expanded its reach. Beyond his expertise in Wikimedia projects, Abdullahalaba demonstrates strong leadership in event management and planning, as seen in his roles at Lead City University and Akure Physical Training. His dedication to fostering knowledge sharing, collaboration, and community engagement makes him an invaluable contributor to Wikipedia and the broader Wikimedia movement. Role: As the project lead, Abdullahalaba is responsible for overseeing the project's success and ensuring its goals are achieved.
Tesleemah (Coordinator and Facilitator): Tesleemah is an experienced editor who has contributed significantly to improving articles on Wikimedia as well as translating many into the Yoruba language. She served as the project lead for Wikimedia Awareness in Akure and is one of the core organizers of the Wikiclimate Campus Tour Nigeria project. Tesleemah also participated in the recently concluded African Growth Pilot organized by the Wikimedia Foundation and is a Certified Organizer for the Organizer Lab. With extensive experience in Wikimedia projects, she previously served as a Training Associate with Free Knowledge Africa. Role: Coordinating the entire project and facilitating its implementation.
Taoheedah (Facilitator): Taoheedah is a seasoned editor of Wikimedia projects and an active member of the Wikipedia Yoruba User Group. She has made substantial contributions to various initiatives, including the Explore Nigeria and Explore Africa projects. Her involvement extends to campaigns such as Africa Youth Month, Wiki LIS Awareness, Afrosport (Nigeria and Africa), Afrocreatives, SheSaid Nigeria, and the Wiki Pages Wanted Photo (WPWP) Project. Taoheedah has also participated in several contests, including De-Stub Yoruba Wikipedia Articles and the Yoruba Wikipedia Citation Hunt. In addition to her editing work, she has co-facilitated Wikimedia projects, acting as both a trainer and coordinator for online and in-person sessions, including Wikimedia Promotions and the Africa Open Biodiversity Campaign. Role: Facilitator and Trainer
Taofeeq Abdulkareem (Trainer and Logistics Manager): Taofeeq is an experienced Wikimedia editor and facilitator for Wikimedia Promotion in Akure. He has made valuable contributions to numerous Wikimedia projects and campaigns, including Wiki Loves SDGs 2021, where he won first prize, as well as initiatives such as WikiForHuman Rights Nigeria, WikiClimateCampus Tour Nigeria, Afrocreatives, Wiki Pages Wanted Photo (WPWP), and WikiLoves Library Nigeria. Beyond his editing work, Taofeeq has played an active role in training others within these campaigns. Outside of Wikimedia, he is a dedicated volunteer, collaborating with organizations like the Young African Leaders Initiative and GirlUp Nigeria, both focused on sustainability. Role: Taofeeq will be actively involved in facilitating and providing logistical support for the project.
- 9. Who are the target participants and from which community? How will you engage participants before and during the activities? How will you follow up with participants after the activities? (required)
The program will target Nigerian youths and sports enthusiasts, with a call for applications via Google Forms prior to the activities. From the applicants, fifty participants will be selected and trained for the program. To maintain the integrity of the articles and prevent vandalism, only experienced editors will be allowed to create and translate articles, with close monitoring throughout the process. Weekly reviews of edits will also be conducted to ensure high quality. After the activities, the WhatsApp group created for the participants will remain active, offering ongoing mentoring and providing exposure to similar future projects. This will ensure continuous support and foster collaboration within the participant community beyond the program’s conclusion.
- 10. Does your project involve work with children or youth? (required)
Yes
- 10.1. Please provide a link to your Youth Safety Policy. (required) If the proposal indicates direct contact with children or youth, you are required to outline compliance with international and local laws for working with children and youth, and provide a youth safety policy aligned with these laws. Read more here.
The event will strictly follow Wikimedia's friendly space policy to ensure a safe and inclusive environment for all participants. Before the event starts, participants will receive the general friendly space policy and the Universal Code of Conduct (UCoC). Steps will also be taken to maintain a positive and secure atmosphere throughout the event. Participants aged 14 and under are welcome to register, as the target audience includes youth interested in sports in Nigeria. However, mature content, such as violent or sexually explicit material, will not be shown in public areas of the venue. To ensure the safety of all attendees, copies of the youth safety plan will be available at the event. Additionally, all in-person activities will comply with local laws and regulations concerning young attendees, fostering a safe and lawful environment for all involved.
- 11. How did you discuss the idea of your project with your community members and/or any relevant groups? Please describe steps taken and provide links to any on-wiki community discussion(s) about the proposal. (required) You need to inform the community and/or group, discuss the project with them, and involve them in planning this proposal. You also need to align the activities with other projects happening in the planned area of implementation to ensure collaboration within the community.
- 12. Does your proposal aim to work to bridge any of the content knowledge gaps (Knowledge Inequity)? Select one option that most apply to your work. (required)
Other Important Topics (topics considered to be of impact or important in the specific context)
- 13. Does your proposal include any of these areas or thematic focus? Select one option that most applies to your work. (required)
Education
- 14. Will your work focus on involving participants from any underrepresented communities? Select one option that most apply to your work. (required)
Ethnic/racial/religious or cultural background
- 15. In what ways do you think your proposal most contributes to the Movement Strategy 2030 recommendations. Select one that most applies. (required)
Innovate in Free Knowledge
Learning and metrics
[edit]- 17. What do you hope to learn from your work in this project or proposal? (required)
Did the project train new and existing editors to have the required skills to edit Wikimedia projects? Did the project close the knowledge gap by improving the visibility of sports and games articles in Nigeria? Did the project close gender gaps relating to sports articles in Nigeria? Was the project beneficial to the target participants in terms of full satisfaction of the knowledge acquired?Did the participants contribute contents to Wikipedia and it's sisters' projects?Did the project create a sustainable group of Wikimedia editors interested in sports ?
- 18. What are your Wikimedia project targets in numbers (metrics)? (required)
| Other Metrics | Target | Optional description |
|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | 60 | Total number of participants including facilitators, organiser and editors |
| Number of editors | 50 | Total number of editors |
| Number of organizers | 5 | Total number of organisers |
| Wikimedia project | Number of content created or improved |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | 100 |
| Wikimedia Commons | 70 |
| Wikidata | 50 |
| Wiktionary | |
| Wikisource | |
| Wikimedia Incubator | |
| Translatewiki | |
| MediaWiki | |
| Wikiquote | |
| Wikivoyage | |
| Wikibooks | |
| Wikiversity | |
| Wikinews | |
| Wikispecies | |
| Wikifunctions or Abstract Wikipedia |
- Optional description for content contributions.
N/A
- 19. Do you have any other project targets in numbers (metrics)? (optional)
No
| Main Open Metrics | Description | Target |
|---|---|---|
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
- 20. What tools would you use to measure each metrics? Please refer to the guide for a list of tools. You can also write that you are not sure and need support. (required)
I'll be using the meta page and the WMF outreach dashboard.
Financial proposal
[edit]- 21. Please upload your budget for this proposal or indicate the link to it. (required)
- 22. and 22.1. What is the amount you are requesting for this proposal? Please provide the amount in your local currency. (required)
1930000 NGN
- 22.2. Convert the amount requested into USD using the Oanda converter. This is done only to help you assess the USD equivalent of the requested amount. Your request should be between 500 - 5,000 USD.
1156 USD
- We/I have read the Application Privacy Statement, WMF Friendly Space Policy and Universal Code of Conduct.
No
Endorsements and Feedback
[edit]Please add endorsements and feedback to the grant discussion page only. Endorsements added here will be removed automatically.
Community members are invited to share meaningful feedback on the proposal and include reasons why they endorse the proposal. Consider the following:
- Stating why the proposal is important for the communities involved and why they think the strategies chosen will achieve the results that are expected.
- Highlighting any aspects they think are particularly well developed: for instance, the strategies and activities proposed, the levels of community engagement, outreach to underrepresented groups, addressing knowledge gaps, partnerships, the overall budget and learning and evaluation section of the proposal, etc.
- Highlighting if the proposal focuses on any interesting research, learning or innovation, etc. Also if it builds on learning from past proposals developed by the individual or organization, or other Wikimedia communities.
- Analyzing if the proposal is going to contribute in any way to important developments around specific Wikimedia projects or Movement Strategy.
- Analysing if the proposal is coherent in terms of the objectives, strategies, budget, and expected results (metrics).