Get your news fix on happenings outside the pool with the latest ‘Beyond the Lane Lines.’ With each edition, we collect personal stories, little-known facts, and general items of interest from around the world. Read on and learn something new this week.
#1 Ivan Christopher Snowden of Ghana Earns Scholarship
The Ghana Swimming Association (GSA) has facilitated the acquisition of a World Aquatics training and educational scholarship to one of the nation’s swimmers, Ivan Christopher Snowden.
This enables 20-year-old Snowden to train at the World Aquatics Bahrain Centre of Excellence while simultaneously pursuing a fully-funded four-year degree at the University of Technology Bahrain (UTB).
“We are pleased to inform you that your athlete, Ivan Christopher Snowden, has been selected to receive a 2026-27 World Aquatics Swimming Scholarship at the Bahrain Centre of Excellence,” read a World Aquatics statement.
Although Snowden is not the first Ghanaian swimmer to benefit from a World Aquatics scholarship, he is the first Ghanaian athlete to receive both the organization’s training and educational scholarship, making his selection a landmark achievement for Ghanaian swimming.
The swimmer most recently competed at the Africa Aquatics Championships in Algeria where he notched several new personal bests.
#2 Collegiate Athletes Allege Retaliation for Title IX Advocacy
A new lawsuit filed in federal court against Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) and its head beach volleyball coach, Gretchen Hand, highlights critical protections under Title IX for student-athletes across all sports.
The plaintiffs, beach volleyball players Ryann Allison and Brynn Dowd, allege they were abruptly cut from the team without explanation in retaliation for their involvement and vocal support of a prior Title IX discrimination lawsuit against SFA. This earlier lawsuit, Myers, et al. v Stephen F. Austin State University, challenged SFA’s alleged “decades-long pattern of discrimination against women” and its decision to eliminate women’s intercollegiate varsity teams, including beach volleyball.
Key allegations contained in the lawsuit include Coach Hand allegedly having been aware of Dowd’s advocacy and even told her she was “guilty by association” due to her relationship with Allison and support for the litigation, the fact that both Allison and Dowd were top performers on the beach volleyball team, consistently playing in the No. 1 and No. 2 pairs, and the plaintiffs claiming they were given no legitimate reason for their dismissal, with Coach Hand allegedly telling them they “didn’t need to understand why.”
Allison and Dowd are seeking compensatory damages for economic losses, including lost scholarships and opportunities, non-economic damages for emotional distress and punitive damages against Coach Hand.
#3 Welsh Swimmer Kyle Booth to Compete in Glasgow Again, This Time as a Corporal
24-year-old Kyle Booth is set to represent the nation of Wales at the 2026 Commonwealth Games which begin this week in Glasgow, Scotland. Although this marks his second Commonwealth Games, the competition will be his first in the role as Royal Air Force (RAF) Corporal.
Four years ago in Birmingham, Booth made it into the semi-finals of the men’s 50m and 100m breaststroke races but took a break from competitive swimming to pursue his RAF career.
Cpl Booth is hoping his learnings from within the military will help him in Glasgow.
He said, “I think joining the Air Force, I’ve learnt a lot about myself as well as other training techniques, what works for me, different variations of what can work.
“I finished my Phase 1 and Phase 2 training as a Physical Training Instructor. Then, once I got posted, I found a local club, which it happened to be I knew the coach.
“I then got in touch with people with RAF Swimming Association. I was able to be able to get that time off. They pushed it for me to get the time off to be able to train full-time in preparation for the trials for the Commonwealth Games, so yeah, it’s been very difficult around work, but the time off that I’ve had, yeah, it’s been really good.”
Although LA 2028 is indeed on the horizon, Booth may return his focus back to the military side of things.
“I think after this I’m going to focus on my job going back to Halton training Phase 1 recruits, which I really, really enjoy,” he told BFBS Forces News. “It’s a lot more fun than I thought it’d be.
“It’s an amazing career to have so I probably won’t be going for that. I’ll probably take another two years out.”
#4 Simple Minds to Headline Commonwealth Games Closing Ceremony
The 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland haven’t even yet begun but there’s already excitement building for the iconic band announced as headlining the international event’s closing ceremony.
Glasgow rock legends Simple Minds, whose career spans nearly five decades, have been revealed as the primary act for the ceremony, along with artists Cammy Barnes, BEMZ and Sandi Thom.
According to Glasgow2026.com, the closing ceremony is set to highlight the people who made the Games possible, the pride of the host city and the iconic sporting triumphs that unfolded as 3,000 athletes competed in 10 sports and six Para sports.
Louisa Mahon, Chief Marketing and Ceremonies Officer at Glasgow 2026, said, “The Closing Ceremony is all about connection. It’s going to be emotional! It’s the moment that we celebrate and say thank you to athletes from across the Commonwealth and to the people of Glasgow who got behind the Games. It’s a time for reflection, but it’s also a huge afters – a time to party, in a way that only Glasgow does.
“Gathered in the Hydro, we will share the story of the Glasgow Games – one that was reimagined and altogether brilliant. The ceremony will echo the spirit of the city and bring Glasgow 2026 full circle through enchanting celebration, energising music, captivating culture and jaw-dropping sporting moments.”
Tom Davies, Executive Producer of the Closing Ceremony, added, “Glasgow is a place where music rings throughout the streets. It’s within the fabric of the city, as a UNESO City of Music. This Closing Ceremony is our second chance to showcase Scotland and its uniqueness on stage at the Hydro, where so many have done before.
“The Glasgow 2026 Closing Ceremony is an opportunity to say goodnight to a city, with a huge send off! A moment for the athletes, creativity, music and connect. We’re working alongside a brilliant team who have designed and delivered incredible creative for some of the world’s biggest ceremonies, concerts, and one-off special events and we have no doubt that this line-up will close the games in a way only Glasgow can.”
