Canadian gymnasts call for independent investigation into “toxic culture and abusive practices” within gymnastics

A group of 71 current and former Canadian gymnasts published an open letter to Sport Canada on Monday calling for an independent investigation into persistent athlete welfare issues within the sport of gymnastics.

An excerpt from the letter read, “we are coming forward with our experiences of abuse, neglect, and discrimination in hopes of forcing change.” The athletes also asked Sport Canada to take action to ensure “the next generation of Canadian gymnasts is not subject to the physical and psychological trauma” they allege they were forced to endure.

The letter specifically calls on Sport Canada to “fund an independent, third-party investigation into the ongoing toxic culture and abusive practices that persist within Canadian gymnastics.”

The group reportedly contains athletes who have competed as members of the Canadian Olympic Team and Canadian National Team, as well as other gymnasts from other competitive programs within Canadian Gymnastics.

Fear of retribution was cited as the reason for athletes not speaking out earlier. The group wrote they could “no longer sit in silence.”

The allegations are GymCan, the national governing body of gymnastics in Canada, failed to handle and address concerns related to athlete welfare and safeguarding. The letter states GymCan has “failed to earn the trust and confidence of athletes.”

“Many athletes who have experienced abuse suffer ongoing psychological and physical consequences, including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and chronic pain,” the letter stated. “We continue to suffer harm while participating in programs run by GymCan, the very organization entrusted with developing and protecting us.”

It was also noted athletes had previously pushed GymCan to “investigate issues internally and to change policies to ensure athlete safety.” However, they were forced to pursue an outside investigation after those calls had “gotten nowhere.”

Former Canadian rhythmic gymnast Rosie Cossar told The Canadian Press, “I really want to emphasize that gymnastics is a sport of children. We all start when we’re very young. I started when I was five.”

She admitted, “you spend more time with your coaches than you do with your parents. You travel the world with your coaches, sometimes you live with them, it’s a very intimate setting.”

Cosar added, “when you grow up in that kind of toxic environment, it has lasting effects on your life. That’s your developmental stages, you don’t have any sense of identity or confidence or of what’s right and wrong. You’re extremely vulnerable.”

The group of gymnasts is the latest group of athletes to come forward with athlete welfare and safety concerns in Canada. Earlier this month, Canadian bobsleigh and skeleton athletes came forward with their own open letter about systemic issues in the Canadian bobsleigh and skeleton program.

Canadian bobsleigh and skeleton athletes have called for the resignation of Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton (BCS) CEO Sarah Storey and high performance director Chris Le Bihan in response to those issues.

Rowing Canada is also reportedly conducting an independent review of its high performance programs after concerns were raised about potential systemic issues present in those programs.

A recent report into Rugby Canada stated, “the culture of Rugby Canada and the high-performance program is described as ‘empty’ or ‘non-existent.’ In this vacuum of culture and leadership, bad behaviors take hold across all areas of the program. The high-performance program is described as unhealthy or unsafe by many.”

Speaking on the state of affairs within Canadian sport, Rob Koehler, Director General of Global Athlete, told The Canadian Press, “it can’t be isolated, if it’s one sport, maybe. But now we’re seeing four or five sports come out, there’s a serious problem with how sports is being run in Canada.”

GymCan and Sport Canada have yet to comment on the open letter released by gymnasts on Monday.