Ukraine has only competed as an independent nation at the last three Olympics, where it captured 23 medals apiece. Previously it contested the Games as part of the former Soviet Union, with the exception of Barcelona 1992, where it featured as part of a united team made up of 12 former Soviet republics.

Earlier this year the country's sports chief, Viktor Korsch, broke an unofficial taboo on disclosing medal expectations by revealing that Ukraine is gunning for 23-25 gold medals at the Beijing Games, up from nine in Athens, where it ranked 12th overall.

A major force behind this wind of change is retired pole vaulter Sergey Bubka, who assumed the helm of the National Olympic Committee in June 2005, and who also serves as an executive board member of the International Olympic Committee.

"He took the best model from the IOC headquarters and put it here in the Ukraine," in terms of staff, sponsorship and funding, NOC press officer Izan Bondarchuk told China Daily.

"Now we have clear support from the NOC to all our sports federations based on rankings. The better result, the more money they get."

Whereas the country's sports federations previously relied on sponsors and the IOC for funding, they got a $4-million boost this year from the government due largely to Bubka's political networking.

"Nowadays we've got a significantly better budget than in the years following the independence," said Bondarchuk.

Bubka has also secured major sponsors like Nike to provide the athlete's uniforms.

He met with Chinese embassy officials earlier this month in Kiev in a bid to foster better relations ahead of the 2008 Games. Each of the Ukrainian sports federations is currently drawing up lists of proposals to put to Beijing regarding training camps and exchange programs.