"With the release of TSN's documentary, BROKEN - The Toxic Culture of Canadian Gymnastics, gymnasts' voices are being elevated and the toxic culture and abuse happening across Canadian gyms is being exposed," a statement read.

Former gymnast Abby Spadafora said: "We hope today's documentary will empower more gymnasts to come forward to tell their stories.

"We hope that it will send a message to every gymnast that normalised abuse in the sport is in fact not normal and needs to be stopped."

Last month more than 500 gymnasts signed a letter to to the Canadian Sports Minister Pascale St-Onge reiterating their call for an urgent independent enquiry to be launched into their sport.

"Since March 2022, over 500 Canadian gymnasts, who are survivors of abuse in their sport, have been calling on the Canadian Government to initiate an independent, judicial investigation to address the toxic culture and rampant child abuse entrenched in Canadian gymnastics," the letter said.

"To date, these calls have been ignored."

Several instances of abuse in Canadian sport have come to light in recent months and representatives from bobsleigh, boxing, ice hockey and rowing have also been seeking redress from the Government.

"Today's release of the documentary is an important step to inform the Canadian population and Government of the abuse happening in the sport," said Kim Shore, former gymnast and co-founder of Gymnasts for Change Canada.

"The Government can no longer sit idle.

"We are very pleased that the Standing Committee on the Status of Women agreed to conduct a comprehensive study into physical and emotional abuse in sport.

"This is an important first step that must lead to a national independent third-party judicial investigation led by human rights experts.

"We have been clear that the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC) is not equipped to handle this investigation.

"They lack independence, power to compel and they are directly funded by Sport Canada who has time and time again failed Canadian athletes."

Amelia Cline, also a former gymnast and co-founder of Gymnasts for Change Canada, added the documentary "is extremely important, but it is just the tip of the iceberg of the abuse occurring across gyms in this country".

Cline insists "more needs to be done".

"We have seen since the beginning of the establishment of the OSIC that athletes do not trust this system and in fact younger athletes are outside their scope," Cline said.

"This must be a red flag to the Minister to consider why there is such push back and rethink a solution that adequately serves athletes.

"We look forward to appearing before the Standing Committee on the Status of Women to share our lived experiences and to work together on long term solutions to make our sport safer for every child and elite athlete."

The Gymnasts for Change statement added: "Gymnasts from across the country deserve to be heard; they deserve to see those who abused, and continue to abuse, their power over athletes made accountable and brought to justice.

"For far too long Gymnastics Canada has favoured brand protection over athlete protection.

"That is why the Canadian Government needs to yield our calls for a third-party judicial investigation outside the sport system."