While China's massive investment in improving its elite athletics looks like foundering against a backdrop of poor coaching and dwindling optimism, the country once damned with allegations about doping has taken a pre-Olympic lead in combating the problem.

Until now the British Olympic Association's bylaw imposing automatic life bans on dopers was unique. However, China has rushed through new legislation that goes farther and bans dopers from taking part in all competitions, not just the Olympic Games.

Luo Chaoyi, the vice-president of the Chinese Athletic Association, said: “The Government has started a strict policy that means anyone who is caught doping stops work. Finished. A life ban. This is a special regulation for the Olympics.”

Dick Pound, the former president of the World Anti-Doping Agency, is adamant China means it, claiming that the country is now “in the vanguard” of the fight on drugs.

It was only 2006 when a sports college in the Liaoning province, near Beijing, was involved in a scandal that resulted in coaches being accused of “collective doping”, but China was heavily involved in last year's raids in the United States in which 120 people were arrested and 11.4 million steroid doses seized. “It's more important to avoid even one positive test by Chinese athletes than to win a gold medal,” Luo said as he looked ahead to Beijing.

Those expecting China suddenly to produce a wave of world-beaters on the track will be surprised by their poor showing at the Olympics, according to Luo. Apart from Liu Xiang in the 110 metres hurdles, Luo said China had chances only in the women's marathon, where Chunxiu Zhou was the fastest in the world last year, and in the women's hammer with Wenxiu Zhang. “We are looking at one or two medals if we are lucky,” he said.

Indeed, China may well do worse than it did four years ago, when Liu and Xing Huina, the 10,000 metres runner, struck gold. Forbes magazine estimates that Liu will earn £12million in advertising and sponsorship money alone this year and millions have been pumped into the state-run sports schools with a view to toppling the United States in the Olympic medal table. Athletics, however, will play next to no part in that pursuit.

“We don't have enough good coaches,” Luo said. “The most important job of the federation now is to train the coaches. Many of the theories stem back to the 1950s. We have not exchanged ideas with other countries.”

That is changing. China has sent its sprint coaches to Michael Johnson's training base in the US for the past three years, while Steve Francis, the coach of Asafa Powell, the 100 metres world record-holder, arrived in Beijing yesterday to host a seminar and discuss training methods.