Punjab government will join hands with Sports Authority of India (SAI) to give boost to sports culture in the state. The state government will soon sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the SAI in this regard. The state has also decided to recruit senior coaches to train the promising players. As part of a road map, Punjab government will also upgrade sports amenities and infrastructure for budding players by setting up residential sports training centers. These will be set up at Jalandhar, Ludhiana and SAS Nagar Mohali. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal who also holds the sports portfolio has directed sports department to ensure maximum participation of players from the state in coming international events by launching a long term athlete development programme in collaboration with education department and the SAI.