Punjab Government has joined hands with the Sports Authority of India (SAI) to give a boost to sports culture in the state under a strategic roadmap in this area besides upgrading sports amenities and infrastructure for budding players. The state has also decided to recruit senior coaches for the purpose to train the promising stars as per current world sports scenario. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, who also holds sports portfolio, has directed the department to ensure maximum participation of Punjabi players in coming international events by launching a long term athlete development program in collaboration with education department and SAI, said the spokesperson.
Under this project, model sports training centers equipped with ultra-modern sports facilities, infrastructure and gadgets would be setup across the state. There are more than 845 players, undergoing training presently by sports department in sports centers, and after setting up of these centers, the numbers will touch to approximately 1300. Spokesperson said that proper coaching in upcoming centers would provide a platform to the players to improve their sports skills so as to compete at the national as well as international levels. “The Government is committed to provide better sports facilities at village and block level to improve the standard of sports in the State,” he said.