mohali punjab minister of sports youth affairs and nri affairs rana gurmit singh sodhi on saturday said more than 300 coaches would be recruited for 29 sports in the state soon sodhi was addressing the media while unveiling the poster for punjab state youth festival to be held at chandigarh university in gharuan mohali on december 23 and 24 sports academies across the state are short of coaches for many months resulting in poor training of sportspersons the state is in dire need of coaches of national and international level said sodhi adding that coaches would be recruited for hockey shooting wrestling kabaddi cricket and others too punjab additional chief secretary sports and youth affairs sanjay kumar said 23 coaches would be recruited for athletics in the first phase 18 for basketball five for lawn tennis 18 for volleyball three for shooting four for cycling two for fencing 17 for football 25 for hockey three for kabaddi 19 for wrestling 12 for weightlifting 11 each for boxing handball and judo two for cricket eight for swimming six for table tennis 10 for gymnastics and three for khokhoa coach each would also be hired for archery softball golf skating powerlifting horseriding chess and roping keeping youth away from drugs and immigrating abroad is the foremost aim of the punjab sports department said kumar