Sudden cardiac deaths in athletes are usually due to underlying cardiovascular 
disease. The final pathway is usually ventricular fibrillation following 
hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and coronary artery anomalies in young persons below 
the age of 30 years. Sudden cardiac death in young is rare but remains as a 
source of concern. A postmortem study was conducted to ascertain the cardiac 
causes of sudden death in persons below the age group 30 years following 
exercise in games or otherwise. Out of 15 cases in autopsy finding, hypertrophic 
cardiomyopathy (n=7) was the commonest cause followed by coronary artery 
anomalies (n=4). Sudden unexpected death is a source of concern and careful 
screening of history and physical examination for potential athletes should 
identify majority of people at risk.