Zakiya Nassar, sometimes spelled "Zakia" (), born April 2, 1987, in Bethlehem, Palestine),"For Palestinian swimmers, it's a chance to swim", Globe and Mail, July 7, 2008 is an Olympic swimmer from Palestine.Nassar's bio from the 2008 Olympics website; retrieved 2009-07-09.
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 suitable 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". 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."JEUX OLYMPIQUES: Les Palestiniens à rude épreuve", Courier international"From Jenin to Beijing", Ynetnews, April 5, 2008 The Israeli authorities subsequently granted her authorisation to swim in a pool in Jerusalem."Palestinian Olympic runner receives exit permit", Ynetnews, April 8, 2008
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."Beijing's youngest is leader of the laggards" , Reuters, August 15, 2008
Nassar lives in Bethlehem and, as of 2008, was studying dentistry at the Arab American University in Jenin.
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