Sports News Roundup: QB battle for ages takes center stage at Super Bowl LV; No. 3 Villanova, No. 5 Houston fall and more

Australian Open to go ahead despite COVID-19 case - organisers The Australian Open will begin as scheduled on Monday even though a worker at one of the Melbourne hotels used to quarantine players and their entourages tested positive for COVID-19, tournament director Craig Tiley said on Thursday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

QB battle for ages takes center stage at Super Bowl LV

Just two years ago, Tom Brady sought out Patrick Mahomes after the AFC Championship Game to console the youngster and provide encouragement. Mahomes hasn't lost a playoff game since that conversation, and he will look to lead the Kansas City Chiefs to their second straight title when they face Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV on Sunday in Tampa's Raymond James Stadium.

Top 25 roundup: No. 3 Villanova, No. 5 Houston fall

Posh Alexander scored 16 points, Julian Champagnie added 14 points and 13 rebounds and St. John's upset No. 3 Villanova 70-59 on Wednesday in New York. Vince Cole had 12 points for the Red Storm (12-7, 6-6 Big East), who won their fifth consecutive game as they work to get back into NCAA Tournament contention.

Australian Open to go ahead despite COVID-19 case - organisers

The Australian Open will begin as scheduled on Monday even though a worker at one of the Melbourne hotels used to quarantine players and their entourages tested positive for COVID-19, tournament director Craig Tiley said on Thursday. Thursday's warm-up matches at Melbourne Park were called off after the case was announced late on Wednesday, and those who underwent quarantine at the Grand Hyatt hotel were instructed to get tested and isolate until they had a result.

Tokyo Olympics chief retracts sexist comments, refuses to resign

Tokyo Olympics chief Yoshiro Mori on Thursday apologised for sexist comments about women talking too much, but said he would not resign, even as his remarks sparked a firestorm of criticism on social media and risked tainting public opinion of the Games. Mori, 83, apologised at a hastily called news conference, but when pressed on whether he really thought women talked too much, he said : "I don't listen to women that much lately so I don't know".

NFL: League in 'active discussions' with players' association over COVID vaccinations

NFL Chief Medical Director Allen Sills said the league was in "active discussions" with its players' association over whether to make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for players and staff, as well as what role it would take in coordinating inoculations. There were 262 COVID-19 cases among players and 463 among personnel detected between August 1 and the end of January, out of more than 950,000 COVID-19 tests administered, causing several schedule delays but no outright cancellations during the season.

Golf: McIlroy slams proposed rule changes to reduce hitting distance

Rory McIlroy has criticised golf's lawmakers for considering changes to equipment that would tame the power of the game's big hitters, saying the campaign is "a huge waste of time and money". The Royal and Ancient (R&A), in conjunction with the United States Golf Association (USGA), has proposed reducing driver shaft length to 46 inches from the current limit of 48. NBA roundup: Paul George knocks down 32 in Clippers' win

Paul George shot 8-for-9 from 3-point range and scored 36 points to lead the visiting Los Angeles Clippers to a 121-99 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night. Kawhi Leonard scored 24 points, Lou Williams had 15 and Serge Ibaka added 14 points for Los Angeles, which finished 4-2 on its road trip. Ivica Zubac had 10 points and 16 rebounds in a reserve role for the Clippers. COVID-19 outbreak puts Minnesota Wild season on hold

The COVID-19 pandemic has pulled another NHL team off the ice, as Wednesday the league announced that the Minnesota Wild has paused operations and has postponed games through at least Tuesday. The Wild reported five additional players within the organization were added to the COVID Protocol Related Absence List: Nick Bjugstad, Nick Bonino, Joel Eriksson Ek, Marcus Johansson and captain Jared Spurgeon joined Marcus Foligno, who had been placed on the list earlier in the week. With history in sight, Nadal seeks to scratch 12-year itch in Melbourne

After drawing level with Roger Federer's record of 20 Grand Slams last year, Rafael Nadal could once again capitalise on the Swiss's absence from the Australian Open to become the most successful player in men's tennis. Since triumphing at Melbourne Park in 2018, Federer has failed to add to his Grand Slam haul - with the main obstacles being the brilliance of Nadal and world number one Novak Djokovic as well as a knee injury that has left him on the sidelines for over a year. Anti-China activists in Japan call for boycott of Beijing 2022 Games

A group of anti-China activists campaigning for human rights in Tibet and support for ethnic Uighurs called on Thursday for a boycott of the 2022 winter Olympics in Beijing, saying the Games would embolden China's government in its crackdowns. The Beijing Games are due to open in exactly one year but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is coming under pressure from critics of China's human rights record.