Current and former Canadian gymnasts are calling for an independent investigation into alleged “systematic abuse” within the sport’s governing body

A group of Canadian gymnasts is calling on Sport Canada to launch an independent investigation into what they describe as “toxic culture” within the sport’s national governing body.

The group of 71 current and former members of Canada’s national gymnastics team on Monday sent an open letter to Vicki Walker, the general manager of Sport Canada, saying she “can no longer remain silent” as calls for change went unheeded.

“GymCan’s current Board of Directors and CEO have failed to address these issues and have failed to earn the trust of athletes,” the letter reads. “Their inability to adequately respond to ongoing systemic abuse, abuse and discrimination is worrying.”

The group says GymCan has paid only “lip service” to concerns about what it described as “an ongoing toxic culture and abusive practices that persist in Canadian Gymnastics.”

“We have urged GymCan to investigate issues internally and change policies to ensure athlete safety,” the letter reads. “We got nowhere.”

The gymnasts are the latest group of Canadian athletes to call for changes within Canada’s Olympic program. A group of Canadian bobsleigh and skeleton athletes earlier this month called for the immediate resignation of their national federation’s CEO and high-performance director, reiterating the need for a “truly independent” investigation into claims of a toxic culture within the teams.

Expressing their solidarity with athletes from other disciplines, the gymnasts added, “We collectively support all abuse survivors and applaud the courage of those who have come forward to share their stories in a bid to improve sport for all.”

The group claims that gymnasts who have experienced abuse have “significant ongoing psychological and physical consequences, including depression, anxiety, eating disorders and chronic pain.”

The letter states that active athletes “continue to suffer harm while participating in programs administered by GymCan, the organization entrusted with developing and protecting us.”