Sports News Roundup: Vanderbilt's Fuller invited to attend Biden inauguration; IOC expects only 6,000 athletes at Olympic opening ceremony and more

NBA roundup: Knicks cruise in rout of Celtics Julius Randle and RJ Barrett each posted double-doubles Sunday afternoon as the visiting New York Knicks snapped a five-game losing streak with their most lopsided win in almost five years, a 105-75 rout of the Boston Celtics.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Vanderbilt's Fuller invited to attend Biden inauguration

Vanderbilt Commodores' Sarah Fuller, who in November became the first woman to play in a Power 5 conference American football game, said she has been invited to attend U.S. President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration on Wednesday. Fuller, who is a goalkeeper for Vanderbilt University women's soccer team, said it was an honour to be invited to one of "America's greatest traditions".

IOC expects only 6,000 athletes at Olympic opening ceremony: Yomiuri

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) expects only 6,000 athletes to participate in the opening ceremony at the Tokyo Summer Games, more than half of initial estimates, as organizers implement measures to guard against coronavirus infections. The IOC plans to scale back the ceremony because athletes will not be allowed to arrive at the Olympic Village, which can accommodate 18,000 people, more than five days before they compete and must depart within two days after their event finishes, the paper reported citing unidentified sources.

Soccer: Sauerbrunn named captain of U.S. women's national team

Defensive standout Becky Sauerbrunn was named captain of the U.S. women's national soccer team on Sunday, taking over the role shared most recently by Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan. The 35-year-old Sauerbrunn, a two-times World Cup champion, 2012 Olympic gold medallist and two-time National Women's Soccer League champion, previously served as co-captain of the national team from 2016-18.

Top 25 roundup: No. 20 Virginia Tech hangs on to beat Wake Forest

Tyrece Radford scored 20 points and No. 20 Virginia Tech made enough defensive stops down the stretch to escape with a 64-60 road victory against Wake Forest on Sunday night in Winston-Salem, N.C. David N'Guessan and Hunter Cattoor both added 13 points for the Hokies (11-2, 5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who committed 15 turnovers.

Four more Australian Open participants infected with COVID-19

More players were forced into hard quarantine ahead of the Australian Open with officials confirming on Monday that four additional participants, including an athlete, tested positive for COVID-19 among those arriving in Melbourne. Health authorities in Victoria state have now reported nine infections among passengers who arrived on charter flights for the Feb. 8-21 Australian Open and officials said more cases may come to light as testing continues.

Japan PM vows to press ahead with Olympics despite virus surge

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga vowed on Monday to forge ahead with preparations to hold the Tokyo Olympics this summer, in the face of growing public opposition as Japan battles a surge in coronavirus infections. Suga faces heightened scrutiny after Taro Kono, his administrative and reform minister, told Reuters last week the Games may not go ahead as planned, becoming the first cabinet member to voice doubt over their staging.

NBA roundup: Knicks cruise in rout of Celtics

Julius Randle and RJ Barrett each posted double-doubles Sunday afternoon as the visiting New York Knicks snapped a five-game losing streak with their most lopsided win in almost five years, a 105-75 rout of the Boston Celtics. The Knicks never trailed in producing their biggest margin of victory since March 9, 2016, when they defeated the Phoenix Suns, 128-97. It was also New York's most lopsided victory over the Celtics since a 102-70 win on Nov. 4, 1997.

NBA postpones Sunday’s Thunder vs. 76ers game

Just hours before tipoff Sunday, the NBA postponed a second game on the day's schedule -- the Philadelphia 76ers at the Oklahoma City Thunder -- expanding the number of games the league has postponed to 15 in the first month of the season. "Because of ongoing contact tracing within the Sixers, the team does not have the league-required eight available players to proceed with the scheduled game against the Thunder," the league announced.

Chargers appoint Rams defensive coordinator Staley as new head coach

The Los Angeles Chargers have named LA Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley as their new head coach, the National Football League team said on Sunday. The move comes after the Chargers ended Anthony Lynn's four-year run as head coach following a disappointing 7-9 season.

Chiefs survive loss of QB Mahomes, reach AFC Championship

The reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs beat the Cleveland Browns on Sunday to reach the AFC Championship, but it may have come at a cost as Patrick Mahomes was knocked out of the game during the third quarter due to a concussion. With the winner of next week's game between the Chiefs and visiting Buffalo Bills moving onto the Feb. 7 Super Bowl, all eyes will turn to Kansas City to see if quarterback Mahomes will be healthy enough to compete.

(With inputs from agencies.)