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