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WADA refutes report it is mulling rule that could bar US officials from LA Olympics

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Olympics: Opening CeremonyFeb 6, 2026; Milan, ITALY; United States Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance wave American flags during the Opening Ceremony for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano San Siro Olympic Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Alban/Pool via Imagn Images

The World Anti-Doping Agency strongly denied a published report from Friday that said it was considering action to prevent President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and other U.S. government officials from attending the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

The Associated Press reported Friday that WADA was seeking to take steps against governments that aren’t up to date on dues payments, topped by a ban of officials from those countries from sporting events. The United States hasn’t paid annual dues since at least 2024 over a dispute regarding the organization’s effectiveness in keeping athletic competition drug-free.

Per the initial report, WADA was scheduled to discuss the topic at its meeting on Tuesday.

WADA published its rebuttal on its website later Friday and didn’t deny that such a rule one day could be implemented. But, the agency said, the “FIFA World Cup, LA and Salt Lake City Games [2034] would not be covered given that the rules would not apply retroactively.”

It added that any such decision would be made by WADA’s Foundation Board, but that group does not meet until November.

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The issue first arose under the administration of then-U.S. President Joe Biden and continues under the Trump administration, with government officials of both the Democratic and Republican parties siding against WADA.

The United States has withheld its dues, in part, in protest of WADA’s handling of a group of 23 swimmers from China who tested positive for a banned substance in 2021 but were allowed to compete in the Tokyo Summer Olympics that same year.

“Discussions related to the issue of governments unilaterally withholding funding from WADA have been ongoing since early 2020 and have nothing specifically to do with the U.S.,” WADA said in its statement. “A working group involving representatives of governments, the Sport Movement and WADA was set up in 2022, a period when the U.S. was still paying its annual contribution.”

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According to the AP, the United States owes more than $7 million for the past two years alone.

Vance and his wife, Usha, led the U.S. contingent at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games and attended the Opening Ceremony and a variety of competitions to support American athletes.

–Field Level Media

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Six Nations 2026: ‘Not the end’ for Scotland despite Ireland loss – Tuipulotu

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After a narrow loss in Rome to open their campaign, Gregor Townsend’s side bounced back with victories against England, Wales and France.

Tuipulotu says Scotland have unquestionably improved over the course of the competition, despite falling short against Ireland.

“I’ve seen what’s gone in behind the scenes and I’m proud of the boys, how they rallied this championship,” he said. “We’ve definitely made progress, there’s no doubt about that.”

Townsend came under heavy pressure after the defeat against Italy in their opener, but he too agreed with Tuipulotu’s assessment that it has been a positive tournament for his side.

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“The performances we’ve delivered, especially the three victories, is some of the best rugby I’ve seen us play,” he said.

“Today it’s a reminder and a lesson. The lesson is that we have to be better when we do have opportunities. Another game for us to know what works and what we have to lean into more, double down on more.

“There were tactical and technical things we needed to improve on, which we did in the second half and we were going up against an excellent opponent, who were very good today.”

After last weekend’s exhilarating 50-40 victory over France, the question was whether Scotland could recreate such a performance at a venue with so many demons.

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Townsend says it simply isn’t possible to play perfect rugby in every game.

“Ireland are a very good team,” he said. “They have an excellent record here against pretty much every team.

“If you want a perfect performance every week, you’re living in fantasy land. We played some excellent rugby but it wasn’t enough to win.”

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Wales end three-year wait for Six Nations win with inspired performance against Italy

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Wales ended a three-year Six Nations losing streak with a 31-17 victory over Italy in Cardiff.

Two tries from Aaron Wainwright and another from skipper Dewi Lake gave Wales a 21-0 interval lead which was quickly built on.

Dan Edwards darted over and the Ospreys outside-half added a superb long-range drop goal to four conversions for a personal haul of 16 points.

Wales outside-half Dan Edwards scores his side’s fourth try in their Six Nations victory against Italy

Wales outside-half Dan Edwards scores his side’s fourth try in their Six Nations victory against Italy (PA Wire)

Italy appeared dead and buried at 31-0 down, but they refused to go out with a whimper and Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, Tommaso Allan and Paolo Garbisi scored tries. Garbisi added a conversion.

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Wales had not tasted Six Nations victory since 11 March 2023 – 15 games and 1,099 days ago – when they beat Italy in Rome.

But there were clear signs of green shoots in defeats to Scotland and Ireland, and Wales produced the performance nearly 70,000 fans inside Principality Stadium had craved to register a first Six Nations home win since February 2022.

Italy could not back up a first-ever victory over England seven days earlier, as hopes of winning three games in a Six Nations campaign for the first time were snuffed out.

The visitors almost undid a positive start from Wales after Tommaso Menoncello turned over possession and led an Azzurri charge.

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(Getty Images)

Wales survived that breakaway and a skewed Garbisi penalty attempt and hit the front after 15 minutes.

Lineout ball was secured to let Eddie James loose and Wainwright took it on with a huge carry that saw the number eight bounce off defenders to score.

Wales were further rewarded when Italy were penalised at the breakdown and chose to go to the corner rather than take the option of three points.

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Edwards delivered an excellent kick and Wainwright was the beneficiary of a driving lineout that Italy could not stop.

The extras were added from the touchline and Wales were in dreamland with a third try before the 30-minutes mark.

Aaron Wainwright was outstanding for Wales

Aaron Wainwright was outstanding for Wales (Getty Images)

Lake found his target at the lineout and guided the driving maul over, with Edwards converting again.

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It had been clinical stuff from Wales with three tries from as many entries into the Italy 22, and the roof was in danger of coming off the Principality Stadium.

Wales were just as efficient after the break as the forwards dragged in the Azzurri defence and Edwards sped through a gap for the bonus-point try.

Edwards added another conversion and slotted a drop goal from 40 metres before hooker Di Bartolomeo rumbled over to put Italy on the scoreboard.

Wales were reduced to 14 when Archie Griffin was shown a yellow card and Italy produced their most dominant period after the replacement prop returned from 10 minutes in the sin bin.

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Allan went over in the corner and Ellis Mee denied Monty Ioane with a try-saving tackle as the winger’s left foot just touched the touchline before grounding the ball.

Italy had the last word as Garbisi went over in the corner after Leonardo Marin was adjudged to be just short of the line, but Welsh joy – and relief – at the final whistle was palpable.

PA

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Knockout St Patricks Event guide

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After a grand Admin Abuse by YouTuber Kreekcraft, the St Patricks Event has commenced in Knockout. It has replaced the Magma Event to introduce more cosmetics and elimination effects, including the Golden Leprechaun skin and the Lucky Splash effect. Players can get all the exclusive items by spending the new currency called Shamrocks in the St Patricks Event shop at the edge of the lobby.

This guide explains how to get Shamrocks in Knockout, so that you can start collecting the event items from St Patricks shop.


How to get Shamrocks in Knockout St Patricks Event

The St Patricks Event shop (Image via Roblox)The St Patricks Event shop (Image via Roblox)
The St Patricks Event shop (Image via Roblox)

Shamrocks are green plant-like objects that can be collected by any player. They spawn on the map in every round but only when the Shamrock Event is active. This event happens every 60 minutes on a server and its countdown can be seen at the top of the St Patricks shop.

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The Shamrock Event is a part of the St Patricks Event. When it begins, two to five Shamrocks appear at random spots on the map. You can collect them by launching your penguin and hitting the Shamrocks.

Shamrocks are also obtainable from the Lucky Crate and Rainbow Lucky Crate. You can buy both these crates from the event shop.


Also check: How to get and use Ice in Knockout


Contents of the Lucky Crate and Rainbow Lucky Crate

The Lucky Crate and Rainbow Lucky Crate (Image via Roblox)The Lucky Crate and Rainbow Lucky Crate (Image via Roblox)
The Lucky Crate and Rainbow Lucky Crate (Image via Roblox)

The Lucky Crate is for free-to-play players. A single crate costs 100 Shamrocks and contains the following things:

  • 50 Shamrocks
  • Shamrock Egg
  • Lucky Splash
  • Cloud9
  • Irish Jig Dance
  • Golden Leprechaun

Rainbow Lucky Crate is the premium version of the Lucky Crate. It costs 149 Robux and has all the contents of the Lucky Crate, but with revealed drop rates:

  • 150 Shamrocks – 40%
  • Shamrock Egg – 25%
  • Lucky Splash – 22%
  • Cloud9 – 10%
  • Irish Jig – 2.5%
  • Golden Leprechaun – 0.5%

The Golden Leprechaun skin has a limited stock. As of this writing, only 9900 copies of this cosmetic are available, so acquire one quickly by opening Lucky Crates or Rainbow Lucky Crates in bulk.


What are all the skins in the Shamrock Egg?

The Shamrock Egg (Image via Roblox)The Shamrock Egg (Image via Roblox)
The Shamrock Egg (Image via Roblox)

The Shamrock Egg, besides being available from the event crates, can also be bought with Shamrocks. It appears briefly next to the St Patricks Event Shop during the Shamrock Event and any player can interact with it.

A Shamrock Egg costs 200 Shamrocks or 99 Robux. It consists of five penguin skins of different rarities, whose drop rates are as follows:

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  • Clover – 46.5%
  • Green Shepherd – 30%
  • Pot O’ Gold – 15%
  • Lucky Kreek Craft – 7.3%
  • Leprechaun – 1.2% (limited stock)

Since it belongs to Tier 6, the Shamrock Egg contains some of the rarest skins.


Also check: Roblox Knockout Season 1 pass guide


FAQs on Knockout

What is the best way to earn Shamrocks?

Opening Lucky Crates and Rainbow Lucky Crates is the best way to earn Shamrocks. You have a 40% chance of getting 150 Shamrocks after opening the Rainbow crate.

How long is the Shamrock Event?

The Shamrock Event lasts 10 minutes before going into a cooldown of 50 minutes.

What is the rarity of the Leprechaun skin?

This skin is of Mythic rarity.

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