Russians in drugs ban

Tomashova: World champion

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The International Association of Athletics Federations has suspended seven Russian athletes, six of them involved in the Olympics, for doping offences.

The athletes have been named by the IAAF as Svetlana Cherkasova, Olga Yegorova, Gulfiya Khanafeyeva, Darya Pishchalnikova, Yelena Soboleva, Tatyana Tomashova and Yulia Fomenko.

Two-time 1500m world champion Tomashova is perhaps the biggest name on the list, alongside world indoor 1500m champion Soboleva - who has been in flying form this season.

The duo were big medal hopes for the Russians - also including European discuss champion Pishchalnikova and former world record holder in the hammer Khanafeyeva.

Fomenko and Yegorova completes the six athletes who will miss the Games, while Cherkasova was the only one not heading to China.

Tests

"All six are definitely suspended and will miss the Beijing Olympics," Russian Athletics Federation (RAF) president Valentin Balakhnichyov said.

"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.

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

The seven have been charged with tampering with samples in order to try and escape testing for drugs.

The IAAF said that they had breached 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", according to their statement.

Violations

"These rule violations were established following the deliberate storage of samples by the IAAF and re-analysis using comparative DNA techniques, and were the result of a specific investigation which was instigated and carried out by the IAAF for more than a year.

"The IAAF will make no further comment until a final decision has been taken by the ARAF (All Russia Athletics Federation), which now takes over the responsibility to adjudicate these cases."

The athletes have two weeks to request a hearing, which must then be held within two months.