MOSCOW - The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has banned seven leading Russian women after charging them with manipulating drug samples, a senior official said on Thursday.

This is a March 9, 2008 file photo of Russia's Yelena Soboleva as she poses next to the clock after setting a new World Record in the final of the Women's 1500m during the Athletics World Indoor Championships in Valencia, Spain. Seven Russian female athletes, including Soboleva were provisionally suspended Thursday July 31, 2008, by the IAAF for doping-related matters. Yelena Soboleva, was one of the seven charged 'for a fraudulent substitution of urine which is both a prohibited method and also a form of tampering with the doping control process.'  [Agencies]

"They are definitely suspended and will miss the Beijing Olympics," Russian Athletics Federation (RAF) president Valentin Balakhnichyov told Reuters.

The seven are: twice world 1,500 metres champion Tatyana Tomashova, world indoor 1,500 metres champion Yelena Soboleva, distance runners Yuliya Fomenko and Svetlana Cherkasova, European discus champion Darya Pishchalnikova, former hammer world record holder Gulfia Khanafeyeva and former world 5,000 metres champion Olga Yegorova.

"The athletes have been charged under IAAF Rules 32.2 (b) and 32.2 (e) for a fraudulent substitution of urine which is both a prohibited method and also a form of tampering with the doping control process," the sport's world governing body said on its website (www.iaaf.org).

"We were notified by the IAAF their drug samples taken in out-of-competition tests in May 2007 and then at last year's world championships in Osaka do not match," said Balakhnichyov.

"Unfortunately we don't have much choice but to suspend them."

All bar Cherkasova had already qualified for the Olympics, which begin on August 8, and were leading contenders for medals.

Soboleva, 25, has been on fire this season, posting the world's best times in the 1,500 and 800.

WORLD RECORD

She smashed her own indoor 1,500 world record to win gold at the world indoor championships in Valencia in March, with Fomenko finishing second.

Tomashova, 33, has dominated the 1,500 in recent years, winning back-to-back world titles in Paris in 2003 and Helsinki two years later. She also finished second at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Yegorova, 36, tested positive for the banned blood-boosting substance EPO prior to the 2001 world championships in Edmonton but was allowed to compete after her suspension was lifted because of an incomplete testing procedure.

She went on to win the 5,000 there and also finished second behind Tomashova in the 1,500 at the 2005 world championships in Helsinki.

After winning the European discus title in Gothenburg in 2006, the 23-year-old Pishchalnikova took silver with a personal best of 65.78 metres at last year's world championships behind Germany's Franka Dietzsch.

Khanafeyeva, 26, briefly held the hammer world record with a throw of 77.26 metres in 2006. She was suspected of failing a drugs test at the 2007 World Military Games in Hyderabad, India before being cleared by the organisers.

Balakhnichyov said the suspensions had dealt a major blow to the Russian team.

"It's a huge, devastating blow just a week before the Olympics. I don't know how we will recover from it," he said.