Zakiya Nassar

Zakiya Nassar, sometimes spelled "Zakia" (Arabic: زكية نصار), born April 2, 1987, in Bethlehem, Palestine),^[1] is an Olympic swimmer from Palestine.^[2]

Zakia Nassar

Personal information
Full name	Zakiya Nassar
Nationality	Palestine
Born	(1987-04-02) April 2, 1987 (age 38) Bethlehem, Palestine
Height	1.62 m (5 ft 4 in)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle

She represented Palestine at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. In the lead-up to the Games, her coach, relayed by the media, commented that Nassar faced severe difficulties in training, due to her lack of access to a swimming pool. The Globe and Mail reported that "[t]here is no Olympic-sized pool in the Palestinian territories and no budget to speak of for the Palestinian Olympic swimmers".^[1] Nassar told the media that she was receiving no support from the Palestinian authorities, that she was able to swim once a month "at best", and that she feared a disastrous performance in Beijing.^[3][4] The Israeli authorities subsequently granted her authorisation to swim in a pool in Jerusalem.^[5]

Nassar won her heat in the 50 metre freestyle event, but her time of 31.97 was not sufficient for her to advance to the next round.^[6]

Nassar lives in Bethlehem and, as of 2008, was studying dentistry at the Arab American University in Jenin.^[1]