Current and former Canadian gymnasts request independent investigation of alleged ‘systematic abuse’ within sport’s governing body

A team of Canadian gymnasts is asking Sport Canada to launch an impartial investigation into what they describe as a “harmful lifestyle” within the sport’s countrywide governing body.

The team of 71 recent and former Canadian gymnastics nationwide workforce associates despatched an open letter to Vicki Walker, the director-basic of Activity Canada, on Monday indicating it can “no for a longer time sit in silence” as cries for modify have long gone unheeded.

“The existing Board and CEO of GymCan have failed to address these problems and have failed to make the trust and self confidence of athletes,” the letter claims. “Their incapability to adequately react to ongoing systemic abuse, mistreatment, and discrimination is troubling.”

The group states GymCan has compensated only “lip assistance” to problems about what it described as “ongoing poisonous lifestyle and abusive procedures that persist in just Canadian gymnastics.”

“We have pushed GymCan to examine troubles internally and to improve procedures to ensure athlete basic safety,” the letter says. “We have gotten nowhere.”

The gymnasts are the hottest group of Canadian athletes to get in touch with for adjustments within the Canadian Olympic method. A group of Canadian bobsled and skeleton athletes requested earlier this month for the rapid resignation of their national federation’s CEO and large general performance director, reiterating a need for a “certainly unbiased” investigation into statements of a poisonous society inside of the groups.

The gymnasts expressed solidarity with athletes in other disciplines, adding “we collectively assistance all survivors of abuse and applaud the courage of these who have occur ahead to share their stories to enhance sport for everybody.”

The team promises gymnasts who knowledgeable abuse “undergo important ongoing psychological and actual physical effects, like depression, nervousness, having problems, and long-term pain.”

The letter said lively athletes “carry on to undergo damage whilst taking part in packages operate by GymCan, the pretty business entrusted with developing and protecting us.”