Scholars Against Abuse in Canadian Sport, whose members are drawn from 30 Canadian and 17 international institutions, says it stands "in solidarity with the over 1,000 Canadian athletes seeking immediate accountability and meaningful change from Sport Canada and the broader system it governs."

On December 29, Skate Canada became the latest national governing body to join the Abuse-Free Sport initiative which aims to address mistreatment in sport.

The programme launched after multiple reports of abuse in Canadian sport, having been developed by the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada.

Hockey Canada has faced criticism following revelations of a CAD$3.55 million (£2.2 million/$2.7 million/€2.7 million) settlement with a woman, who claims she was abused by members of the country’s junior national team in 2018.

Rowing Canada Aviron and Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton are two other governing bodies under scrutiny for safety and culture failings.

All three organisations have signed on with Abuse-Free Sport in recent months.

But there remains disquiet in sporting circles about the breadth and depth of problems that have emerged within Canadian sport in recent months, and the latest initiative from the collected scholars maintains that the Government’s response to athlete abuse "remains woefully inadequate, failing to address the underlying factors responsible for the widespread maltreatment of athletes across the sport system."

The letter continues: "The establishment of the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC) in June 2022 is not a solution.

"Without complete independence from Canada's sport authorities, the OSIC will always lack the powers necessary to resolve this crisis.

"The OSIC is an inadequate response to the toxic culture of abuse.

"It lacks the necessary independence, capacity, authorities, expertise, and mandate to conduct an inquiry of the breadth and depth required.

"The Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC) established the OSIC to adjudicate claims of abuse emanating from within Sport Canada's jurisdiction.

"Yet, the SDRCC is itself funded by Sport Canada.

"The Government must appoint a third party to conduct a proper, thorough, trauma-sensitive investigation into the systemic failure of the nation's sport system.

"Moreover, the aim of such an investigation must be to prevent, rather than simply respond to, the kinds of abuse so frequently reported.

"Pursuing meaningful, sustainable change means subpoenaing testimony and/or documents.

"It means sanctioning offending parties.

"Instead, the OSIC will silence and re-traumatise survivors.

"According to the OSIC, survivors should not discuss or disclose the complaint, allegations, investigation, or details thereof with anyone (including on social media or publicly), except as directed by OSIC…as otherwise required by law, or as noted in the exceptions.

"The last thing survivors need is yet another mechanism that operates to silence them.

"Canadian athletes deserve better…

"We urge the Canadian government to initiate an independent judicial inquiry into athlete abuse in Canada, akin to the Dubin Inquiry of 1989.

"The safety of the nation’s child, youth, and elite athletes depends upon it."