An Athens prosecutor has ordered an investigation into serious allegations made by athletes of the Greek national gymnastics team, who claimed in a letter signed by 22 individuals and sent to the Federation that they were systematically sexually harassed, physically, and psychologically abused as young children.

The allegations of the athletes, which were revealed in a letter detailed incidents of brutal physical, verbal and psychological violence as well as sexual harassment even to young children by coaches, come to the prosecutor’s attention following a relevant order of the head of the Athens Prosecutor’s Office.

In the context of the inquiry that has now been put in motion, and will be overseen by the prosecutor Apostolos Andreou, is the investigation of possible criminal acts such as sexual abuse and bodily harm.

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Among other things, in their letter, the 22 athletes complain that their coaches threw objects, such as chairs and shoes while performing exercises and even forced them to hit their fellow athletes. They also claim coaches would touch them inappropriately on their genitalia while doing stretches, while in some cases they would make them stand naked as punishment after failing to complete an exercise successfully.

The Greek Gymnastics Federation released a statement saying it would aid in the process of shedding light on the accusations, while it said it supported the athletes.