Children at a prestigious European ballet school were encouraged to smoke cigarettes in order to stay slim, according to a report.
The special commission report found Vienna State Opera's high profile ballet academy endangered pupils' wellbeing due to its harsh training regime.
The Austrian government-backed probe said young dancers were exposed to harsh routines of training, practising and performing.
Students were also referred to by their first name and clothing size, it said.
"It is clear that children and adolescents are not sufficiently protected from discrimination, neglect and negative medical effects," the commission's report stated.
The Vienna State Opera, which is one of Europe's most prestigious ballet schools, trains many graduates who go on to dance in New York's American Ballet Theatre and London's Royal Ballet.
In response to the claims, the institution - which was created in 1771 - said it has cut the number of performances and it would give a full response after studying the report.
The scandal was first revealed by the weekly newspaper Falter, which published an article in April under the title “We Were Broken”.
It described how students were mentally and physically abused using “19th century” methods.
Young dancers were hit, scratched until they bled, pulled by their hair, and subjected to humiliating comments about their bodies, it was claimed.
Some developed bulimia or anorexia, the paper said.
The commission investigated, holding 16 hearings and interviewing 24 people. Students at the academy are aged between 10 and 18 the paper reported.
Austrian culture minister Alexander Schallenberg has called for urgent action to address the report’s claims.
