Alcala is PBA’s top priority

NANILA—Malvinne Ann Venice Alcala’s Olympic quest has become a top priority for the Philippine Badminton Association.

Badminton officials recently had its first board meeting under Vice President and newly installed PBA head Jejomar Binay, which zeroed in on the 15-year-old’s chances to play in the 2012 London Olympics. Alcala, the country’s top lady shuttler, captured the women’s singles crown of the 2011 Li-Ning Australia Junior on May 13-15 held in Victoria, Australia. Ranked 108 in the world, Alcala also emerged triumphant in the under-17 girls’ singles of the 2010 Asian Age Group Championships in Singapore and wound up with a respectable performance in the Hong Kong Open Super Series last year.