Sport-More than two dozen Canadian sport organizations asking Trudeau for national inquiry

More than two dozen sport and activist organizations are calling on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to launch a national inquiry into what they say is a toxic culture of abuse in sport in the country, in the latest plea for a widespread examination.

"On behalf of thousands of Canadian athletes, we are calling on you to exercise your powers as leader of this country to protect every child, youth, and elite athlete...," said Thursday's letter, which was also posted on social media.

Sport Minister Pascale St-Onge announced a series of reforms in early May aimed at holding the country's national sport organizations (NSOs) accountable, but the many who have been calling for a national inquiry for months said St-Onge's measures do not go far enough.

"To date, more than 1,000 athletes from over 14 sports have called for a national inquiry," said the letter signed by 27 organizations.

"Their demands have been echoed by Scholars Against Abuse in Canadian Sport, Global Athlete, the Coaching Association of Canada, Canadian Women in Sport, Own the Podium, and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport."

St-Onge's recent announcement, they wrote, have not staved off calls for an inquiry, but rather fuelled them.

"Many sport organizations and agencies have openly said the system is broken and needs to be fixed," the signatories said. "They, along with athletes, are begging for help."

St-Onge's reforms came after athletes from a range of sports gave evidence to parliamentary committees over the past year and shared stories of physical and mental abuse they suffered at the hands of coaches and other officials.

Under St-Onge's reforms, non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) or non-disparagement clauses cannot be used to prevent athletes and