<p class="bodytext">A Swiss court on Thursday upheld doping sanctions that will prevent Russian athletes from competing at major international events under the country's flag, but reduced the period of the ban to two years from four years.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The ruling will leave Russian athletes without their flag and national anthem at next year's Tokyo Olympics and at the 2022 soccer World Cup in Qatar, a severe blow to Russian sport which has been tarnished in recent years by a string of doping scandals.</p>
<p class="bodytext">A Swiss court on Thursday upheld doping sanctions that will prevent Russian athletes from competing at major international events under the country's flag, but reduced the period of the ban to two years from four years.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The ruling will leave Russian athletes without their flag and national anthem at next year's Tokyo Olympics and at the 2022 soccer World Cup in Qatar, a severe blow to Russian sport which has been tarnished in recent years by a string of doping scandals.</p>