It noted in particular how the reporting of alleged abuse has been hampered by the relationship between an athlete and an adult who might have control over his or her career. For example, the report said U.S.A Gymnastics’s procedures for reporting suspected sexual abuse was in the form of a written grievance process by parents and the athletes that was aimed at dispute resolution.

“Young athletes (in their teens or younger) and their parents are highly unlikely to report ongoing abuse to the authority that has so much power over the athlete’s success in the sport,” the report said.

But a big problem is the gymnastics community has been its decentralized nature. Clubs are private businesses, which makes tracking the behavior of coaches uneven if he or she moves to another. “If a club’s management is vigilant, it will check references as well as conduct a background check,” the report said. But those only reveal any criminal convictions, meaning that a new club may not find out about prior abuse or grooming activity.

The abuse charges have put the gymnastics federation under a shadow, particularly last year, when The Star reported revealed that U.S.A. Gymnastics had kept files of complaints involving more than 50 coaches suspected of abusing athletes, yet in many cases failed to alert law enforcement of possible wrongdoing. One of them was a longtime doctor for the American gymnastics team, Lawrence G. Nassar, who was charged in February with 22 charges of first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving at least seven victims.

Ms. Daniels’s report also said one coach accused of abuse had worked in at least 12 clubs in four states. “He left a trail of anguish in his path, in the form of over 15 abused girls whose lives were forever damaged — but clubs continued to hire him, either because they were unaware of the abuse or, in the case of at least one club, reportedly knew but promised to ‘watch’ him.”

Stephen Drew, a Michigan lawyer who represents gymnasts who allege they were abused by Dr. Nassar and emboldened to come forward after the Star report, said some of the new recommendations, such as immediate reporting of suspected abuse, were already law.

But he said the recommendations should be used to create “a clear protocol to document and investigate past abuse complaints — and to initially believe the person.”

“It is hard enough for people to come forward and make a complaint like this,” Mr. Drew added. “Every sign should indicate ‘we are taking this seriously.’”