In an exclusive blog published on insidethegames, released following a turbulent year of revelations of wrongdoing in British football, Para-swimming, bobsleigh, cycling and rowing, Nicholl warns of "rough waters" ahead and admits it will take time to win back lost trust.

Bullying allegations in a number of sports led to questions over whether winning was put before welfare but Nicholl is clear that individuals, and not a malfunctioning system, are to blame.

"Over the last 12 months a light has been shone on some wholly inappropriate and unacceptable behaviours in some Olympic and Paralympic sports and in other sports," she wrote.

"Each individual case is in itself deeply disturbing and the shock waves have been felt right across the system. 

"It is important that we know the truth and these voices must be heard and the grievances must be dealt with fairly, effectively and promptly.  

"Where UK Sport is a significant investor in a sport, we are committed to using all of the powers available to us to ensure that these matters are dealt with appropriately and to ensure that any underlying cultural issues are also addressed.

"The re-building of trust and visible changes in behaviour and culture, where it is needed, could take some time and so there are still likely to be some rough waters to navigate but we are committed to the challenge.  

"Getting this right is a top priority for us to protect well-being and to ensure we can continue to deliver on our vision to inspire the nation."

Nicholl, who joined UK Sport 18 years ago, becoming chief executive in September 2010, heaps praise on Britain's sporting success over recent years, calling it "unprecedented for a nation the size of the United Kingdom." 

She revealed that UK Sport has established a Sport Integrity function to better enable issues to be identified and to advise sports on policies for whistleblowing and the reporting of unacceptable behaviour and resolve cultural or behavioural issues.

Nicholl lists a number of advancements made with regards to athlete welfare and safeguarding, including a "Culture Health Check", which collates insights provided by athletes, staff and stakeholders.

She says they have made progress on a framework of values and behaviour, reviewed their People Development Strategy, which deals with leadership and management skills across the high performance system, written a new Code for Sport Governance - which they claim are the most advanced set of sports governance standards in the world – and initiated work with the British Athletes Commission to enhance athlete support and representation.

Nicholl added: "We feel confident that the serious behavioural issues that have occurred are isolated and certainly not endemic.

"We are fully committed to developing a high-performance culture that is truly inspirational and one that will once again set us apart from our global competitors."  

You can read the full blog here.