Ontario Artistic Swimming is excited to announce the addition of Yingli Hou to the OAS team in the new role of Head High Performance Provincial Coach. This position will lead the implementation of OAS high performance athlete programming in the HP Academy and Team Ontario programs, as well as contribute to the strategic direction of athlete development in the province as a whole. The Head HP Provincial Coach will also lead Team Ontario in the 2025 Canada Summer Games in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
“I firmly believe that a safe, encouraging, and supportive environment is imperative for nurturing, inspiring, and mentoring healthy and strong athletes”, says Hou. “I am confident we can lead Ontario to podium success at the 2025 Canada Summer Games.”
The continuity of leadership between the HP Academy and Provincial Team programs is a key part of OAS’ high performance strategy as we look to identify, develop and support Ontario athletes throughout the high performance pathway. We welcome the depth of experience at the provincial, national and international levels that Yingli will bring to athletes and coaches in Ontario. A full bio can be found below.
Yingli Hou
Yingli Hou is currently a Junior high performance coach at the Waterloo Region Artistic Swimming Club. Yingli specializes in program planning, implementation, and evaluation along with her strong technical background. As an athlete, she competed for China at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics. With over 30 years of coaching experience, Yingli has led athletes to multiple podium finishes at both the national and international level.
Yingli has been a coach at the National Junior Development Camps in 2017, 2019 and 2021, as well as an Apprentice Coach at the 2018 summer preparation camps for the National Junior and 13-15 Programs. In 2022 and 2023, Yingli served as the Junior National Team Assistant Coach, helping to guide Team Canada to strong performances at the 2022 Junior World Championships and 2023 Pan American Artistic Swimming Championships.
She also brings extensive experience as a guest coach in OAS’ high performance programming, working with identified Ontario athletes since 2013. Yingli was Head Coach of Team Ontario at the 2011 and 2019 Canada Games, leading Ontario to podium finishes at both Games. She was also the Head Coach of the 2018 Junior Provincial Team which represented Ontario at the 2018 SYNC and UANA Pan Am Championships.
Yingli is NCCP Competition Development certified and has completed her Advanced Coaching Diploma. In addition to her coaching education, Yingli has become certified as a Pilates and Yoga Instructor, allowing her to further enhance the training of her athletes. Yingli is a powerful force and positive influencer in her daily life. In her free time, she enjoys coaching Pilates and Yoga, running marathons, and engaging in outdoor activities with her two energetic sons.
